In Another World With A Marine
by Nightmare 6-4
Summary: Sgt. James Murphy was a Marine Marksman who did his duty to combat terrorism and protect the homefront, he made the ultimate sacrifice and God revived him in another world, but unfortunately for James the war is not over, because Marines never die, they just go to hell to regroup.
1. Chapter 1: Marines Never Die

Ch. 1 – Marines Never Die

**Well, here we go again. Lost in Familiar Lands was difficult, but I'll try to continue it, anyway, here's another one for y'all. In Another World with My Smartphone is owned by AT-X, Tokyo MX, and BS11, I only own the OCs. See you in the author notes! Note: The beginning will have some insensitive terms but that's how the Marines do.**

_Raqqa__, Syria – 1100 hours, 2017._

"Today's the day we put these goat fuckers down!" Lieutenant Ramirez yelled as he slapped a magazine into his M4A1, a man slapped a fresh magazine into his M9 before he pulled back the slide and replaced it back into his side holster. "Murphy! I want you to lead up Fireteam Zulu and take out the sniper's nest in the western quadrant." Ramirez yelled as the MTVR hit a pothole, Murphy nodded as he pulled back the side bolt on his M110 SASS.

"The SDF will take up the lead after the artillery barrage takes out the key points, then we'll move and clear out our set areas before we regroup at rally point hotel." Ramirez explained as three F-22s flew overhead followed by two Ospreys. "Ready Marines?!" Ramirez yelled, the battalion answered with a resounding 'Hoorah'. The MTVR came to a stop before the back dropped and the Marines jumped out.

Bullets whizzed by overhead as the Marines ran head first into combat, Murphy led the Fireteam down an alley as bullets cracked against the sand wall. "Sergeant, what can we expect?" A shaky private asked as they huffed down the alley. "I'm gonna say the usual: AKs, RPGs, IEDs, and PKMs." Sergeant Murphy said as he slowly checked his corners. "Heads up, boys. Rag hamper, 1 o'clock." Murphy said as he pointed toward a building with that had sandbags in the window with a single slot open, large enough for a rifle barrel.

Murphy dashed across the street into the other alleyway before the other Marines joined him, Zulu slowly stacked up on a side door behind Murphy "Alright, get ready to breach." Murphy said in a hushed tone as he pulled out a flashbang, Private Johnson moved in front of the door and placed a breach strip on the door hinge. "Contact." Johnson said in a hushed tone before he clicked the detonator, the hinges exploded and blew the door into the building.

Murphy pulled the pin and tossed the flashbang into the room before it exploded into a large flash with a large bang. Murphy tilted his rifle to the left, so he was aiming down the canted RDS as he rushed into the building and put down two insurgents. The bullets ripped through their bodies and slammed them into the wall before their bodies slouched down. "Clear left!" Johnson yelled as he checked the corners and the basement stairs.

"Stairs left." Murphy said as he aimed up the stairs and slowly ascended the stairs, a man wearing a keffiyah rounded the corner with an AK in his hand "Die Infidel!" The man yelled before he was riddled with bullets from the Marines who continued up the stairs to the second floor. "Clear. Approaching sniper den now, how copy command?" Murphy asked as he pressed his headset, the radio clicked and crackled "Roger Zulu, Release the Kraken." Commanded responded.

"You heard them, Murphy, it's all you." Johnson said with a grin as they approached the closed room. 'Time to release the kraken.' Murphy said to himself before he kicked the door in, the door clattered to the ground as Zulu raised their rifles and stormed the room. Murphy and Johnson quickly eliminated three insurgents before they secured the room "Kraken to Ramirez, sniper nest is 86'd, I repeat, the sniper nest is 86'd." Murphy said as he radioed the Lieutenant. "10-4 Kraken; rally up on point Hotel. Ramirez out." The Lieutenant said before the feed cut off.

Zulu quickly booked it to the rally point in the middle of Mosul, burning cars and debris littered the courtyard where the 3rd infantry division stood waiting for Zulu. "Good job, Kraken. We're set to link up with the SDF and take out another hardpoint, take Zulu and secure the main building at the end of the street half a click east." Ramirez ordered as he pointed at a map on the hood of a Humvee. Zulu saluted the Lieutenant before they booked it east toward the next hardpoint.

"Let's give these goat fuckers payback for Benghazi." Corporal Jefferson said as he gripped his Benelli M4. Murphy chuckled "Focus that anger down range, Jefferson." Kraken said as he crouched down next to a wall and peaked around the corner. "Gunner box, 11 o'clock high." Murphy said as he pointed up at the barrel sticking out of the window. "Menendez, pop smoke." Murphy said before a rifleman tossed two canister into the middle of the street.

The canister spit out grey smoke and filled the street with a smoke screen "Move, now." Murphy said before he dashed across the street as the mounted gun started to spit hot lead at the Marines. One by one, the Marines made it across the street except for Lance Corporal Michaels who took a round to the shoulder. "Shit, cover me!" Kraken yelled before the Marines opened fire at the window which caused the mounted gun to stop firing.

Murphy slid toward Michaels and grabbed him by the vest before he pulled him into the alley "You're gonna be alright, son." Murphy said as he held his hand down on the corporal's shoulder. Jefferson and Johnson quickly got to work fixing Michaels wound "Sorry sir." Michaels apologized but Murphy shook his head "No son, you did nothing wrong. But hey, that purple heart's gonna look nice on your dress uniform." Murphy said with a chuckle, Michaels chuckled softly "Give them hell for me, sir." Michaels asked the Sergeant who nodded "Hell yeah, they're about to feel the full wrath of the United States Marine Corp." Murphy said as Jefferson and Johnson loaded Michaels up onto a stretcher and booked it back to Rally Point Hotel.

"Sir, it's just me, Private Richardson, and Corporal Davis left." Menendez said as he factored in the number of Marines left. Murphy clenched his fist "Let's send these fuckers to the devil himself." Murphy said, Davis pipped up "We're sending them to see Captain Cunningham?" Davis asked which caused Murphy to crack up "Damn it, Davis, we got work to do." Murphy said as he led the rest of Zulu to the side door.

Murphy applied another door breach and stepped back before he triggered it, he ran in and raised his rifle. Time seemed to slow for Murphy as he watched a pineapple cut MK 2 hand grenade fall from the stairs and bounce onto the floor. "GRENADE!" Murphy yelled as he pushed Davis out of the doorway and leaped onto the grenade. "Murphy!" Menendez yelled before the grenade exploded under Murphy.

Murphy was surrounded by white and a hounding ringing noise in his ear "Ahh, man that hurt. Alright, Davis! Anyone hurt?" Murphy yelled as he looked around the white room. "Where am I?" Murphy asked himself as he looked around the room. "Heaven." A man in a white suit said to the Marine. "Heaven? But I was just in Raqqa." Murphy asked confused, the man nodded "You made the ultimate sacrifice for your comrades. You threw yourself onto a grenade so that they may live to see another day." The man said, Murphy connected two and two together as he looked at the man.

"So that means that you're God." Murphy said to which the man nodded. "You know I'm an atheist, right?" Murphy asked, God nodded "I do, James." God answered, Murphy thought for a moment "So, who doesn't get into Heaven?" James asked, God chuckled "The Scientologists." God said which caused James to chuckle.

"So, I want to make you a proposition that I just made for a kid from Japan that I accidentally struck with lightning. I'll revive you but, in another world, he took his smartphone but what will you want to take?" God asked, James thought for a moment "Well, for one: I need my M110 SASS and, oh let's say, a MP-412 REX, along with my gear. Second: I would like to also take my smartphone with me. Third: I want the same set up you gave him, because I got a feeling you supped him up." James said as he cracked his knuckles. God chuckled "Consider it done." God said with a chuckle.

"Oh, one thing before we do this: Did Fireteam Zulu make it out?" James asked, God smiled "Your sacrifice filled them with determination, Davis and Menendez took out the building before they carried you back to the base. I can tell you this, Cunningham broke down in his office when he found out you sacrificed yourself." God said, James chuckled "So the old man does have a heart." James said with a smile as his gear appeared on a table next to him.

"Alright, hold still. I'm going to increase your physical attributes tenfold, I also fixed your phone to work with the local terrain and it charges via magic. I also took the liberty of fixing your cerebrum so that you can understand that kid and the local language, his name is Touya by the way." God explained as he went to work fixing up Murphy.

"Well, thanks a lot, G-Man. I guess it's true what they say, Marines never die." Murphy said with a chuckle before God snapped his fingers and a large flash of light filled the room. Murphy opened his eyes and found himself laying in a field under a tree, he pushed himself off the ground and grabbed his rifle off the ground along with his bag.

"Man, the big man comes through. I guess consider me a believer." Murphy said to himself before his phone rang, he pulled it out and saw that it said 'G-Man' on the caller ID, he swiped the call button and put it to his ear "Go for Murphy." James said, God chuckled "I put my direct information in your phone, call me anytime, Murphy. I'm rooting for you." God said before he ended the call.

"Alright, let's get to it." Murphy said as he placed his rifle on his back and started to jog down the dirt path but stopped to fish a pair of wireless earbuds out of his bag. He connected them to his phone and placed them in his ears before he pressed play and took off down the road.

**For The Glory – All Good Things**

**Better back down, you're in my domain, got the whole crowd screaming out our name, it's a blowout, it's a hurricane, it's over (before you know it!) Why you shaking? We're a dynasty in the making, we're the royalty, now we're breaking down the enemy, move over (for the soldiers!)**

**Take a swing, I can take a hit, if we die, it's fine, we live for this, it's all for this!**

**We're gonna stand on top with our hands in the sky, gonna raise our cup to the stadium lights. For the glory (for the glory!) For the glory (for the glory!) We celebrate with the city tonight, hear the hometown cheer, it's the ultimate high! For the glory (for the glory!) We do it for the glory (for the glory!)**

As Murphy ran, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched but he looked over his shoulder in time to see a large wolf with a horn on its head leap at him. Murphy ducked in time to grab his revolver and put two in its chest, the boom of the revolver echoed through the silent grasslands as he holstered it.

**Yeah, we've waited for our time to come, calculated everything we've done. We've upgraded, now you can't outrun a champion (now you're facing one!) Can you hear them? Yeah, it's all for us, you believe them? Yeah, it's serious, hear the siren? We're victorious, I'm tellin' ya (Can I get a hell yeah?) Hell yeah!**

Murphy switched his music off as he approached the outskirts of a city, Murphy looked up at the sign but couldn't read what it said, "Well shit." Murphy said to himself as he walked into the city, he looked around the city and saw people staring at him. Murphy put some pep into his step as he jogged through town with his gear clanging against his body.

"Hey! We had a deal!" A voice yelled from an alley and grabbed James's attention, he turned to see a boy walking down an alley where two thugs stood in front of two girls who looked scared. 'Well G-Man, let's see what I can do.' James thought to himself before he walked past the boy and wrapped his arm around one of the thug's throat before he applied pressure to the man's jugular. "Sorry ladies, mind if I cut in?" James asked before he choked the first thug out and delivered a roundhouse to the second one's head.

The second man slammed into the brick wall before hit the ground like a sack of bricks "Uhh…" A girl with long hair started to say but James held his hand up "Sorry that thing broke in the process, are you girls alright?" James asked as the boy arrived in the alley "Oh, you already took care of them." The boy said, Murphy nodded "Yep." James said as he cracked his knuckles. "Uhh… Well thanks for saving us, I'm Elze Silhoueska and this is my younger twin sister, Linze Silhoueska." Elze said as she introduced the two of them.

"Oh, I'm Touya Mochizuki." Touya said, Murphy looked at him as he thought to himself 'Wait, I gotta work with this pipsqueak? He's like fifteen.' James thought to himself. "I'm Sergeant James Murphy, Marine Corps." James said as he let his mind's preloaded introductions take over, the girls looked confused "Touya, that name is Eashen." Elze asked curious which caused Touya to freeze up. "Uh well…" He started to say before he was cut off by Elze "So why did you come to this town?" She asked Touya who smiled "Oh, I'm looking for the Silver Moon Inn." Touya said, James chuckled to himself as he had completely forgot about finding a place to stay. "Oh, that's the Inn we're staying at." Linze said before the two girls walked out of the alley.

James started to walk behind them before Touya stopped him "You're from America, aren't you?" Touya asked, James nodded "And I take it you're from Japan?" James asked, Touya nodded before the two followed behind the Silhoueska twins toward a large cottage building. Touya walked up to the Inn keeper and put a down payment for a month in advance, he looked back at James who shrugged, Touya sighed "And a month for him as well." Touya said as he placed a couple gold coins on the counter.

James walked up stairs to his room and pulled his gear off, he placed his rifle on the table and his bag on the floor before he went downstairs to rejoin the three others. "And so that's why we were out delivering that crystal deer antler before he swooped in and saved us." Elze said as she gestured to James who sat down next to Touya. "I told you I was against it, but you never listen to me." Linze said with a sigh. "I guess we should only accept requests from proper places like the guild. Should we take the opportunity to register?" Elze asked her sister as James and Touya watched on.

"Um, if you wouldn't mind, could we come with you? I was thinking that we should look for work." Touya asked, Elze perked up "Of course you can. Let's go together. We'll show you the way as thanks for saving us, right?" She asked as she looked at her sister.

***0100 hours***

The Inn was sound asleep, James was fast asleep but tossed and turned in his sleep. "No… Jessie, get down… Jackson, cover fire… uh… oh god there's so much blood." James said in his sleep before he shot awake with a scream and his revolver in his hand, Touya ran in and looked at James "What's wrong?" Touya asked, James grabbed his head and rocked himself back and forth "It… It's nothing, j-just a nightmare." James said as he shook his head, Elze ran in with two large gauntlets on "What's going on?" She asked as she looked ready to fight, Touya shook his head "He had a nightmare, and a bad one at that." Touya said as the sheet fell from James's chest, revealing a series of scars from knife slashes and bullet wounds, a large burn scar covered his side.

"Uh… James, do… do you want to talk about it?" Touya asked, but James shook his head "No, but thank you. I don't think you could comprehend it." James said as he laid back down, Touya nodded as he closed the door behind him.

***The next day – 0700 hours***

James pulled himself out of bed and pulled on his BDUs followed by his IBA gear, he pulled his boots on and laced them up before he walked out of his own room. Touya walked out of his room as James walked by and descended the stairs "Hey James, can I talk to you before the girls wake up." Touya asked, James nodded before Touya followed him downstairs. James sat down at a table while Touya sat across from him, James called the innkeeper over and ordered a black coffee while Touya ordered tea.

"So, what's up, kid?" James asked as the Innkeeper sat down a cup of coffee in front of James. "I wanted to ask… how did you get here? I for instance was struck by lightning by accident." Touya explained as the Marine sipped his black coffee. James nodded his head as he put his mug down "I sacrificed myself during the battle of Raqqa in Syria, we were joining the SDF to fight back ISIS. We had just taken out a sniper nest and had moved on to take out a sentry position. One of my Corporal's was hit and was taken back to the rally point, so we moved in to take out the position. I set a door breach and blew the door in before we charged in, as we ran in, I watched as a grenade dropped from the second floor and it seemed like time slowed to a crawl. I immediately pushed Corporal Davis and Private Menendez out of the doorway before I threw myself onto the grenade. The grenade exploded under me and kept my team alive to fight another day." James explained as he relived his last days on Earth.

"Wow, so why did you end up here?" Touya asked, James scratched his head "The big man up stairs said that I had made the ultimate sacrifice and that it was essentially an act of valor, so he revived me, but he didn't say why." James explained, Touya nodded as he scratched his head. Within hours, the twins descended the stairs and led the duo from Earth to the guildhall.

James and Touya stared at a wall of flyers that were plastered to the wall "Fuck, I can't read this." James said to himself, Touya nodded "Me either." Touya groaned, Elze skipped over to where James and Touya were standing "Any good ones over here?" She asked curiously, James chuckled "Well, we don't seem to be able to read this." James said with a chuckle, Elze and Linze were taken aback "Huh? You mean you can't read?" Elze asked, Touya chuckled nervously "Well… no." Touya said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh, it's a mission to defeat beast monsters in the forest to the east, five one-horned wolves. The reward is 18 copper pieces." Linze explained as she read the flyer. 'So that's what attacked me yesterday.' James thought to himself as he remembered the horned wolf that had attacked him on the road. "If you'd like, we could form a party. You two seem strong, so it'd be nice to have you." Elze said to which Linzie nodded in agreement.

Elze tore the flyer off the wall and went to apply at the counter, Touya realized something quickly as they stood there "Oh, I don't have any weapons." Touya said, Linze looked shocked. "Huh?" She asked confused before Elze returned "Alright, we're all set." Elze said as she stood next to James. "Well, Touya doesn't have any weapons." Linze said which shocked Elze "Huh?" She asked confused.

James pulled the DMR off his back and unbolted the scope from the top rail, he placed the scope into his bag before he flipped up the iron sights "Uhh James, what is that?" Elze asked as they looked at his rifle. "Uhh, it's like a bow and arrow but the arrow is made of metal and is shot out at 2,500 feet per second, same thing for the one on my hip. But the arrows are small." James said as he pulled a bullet from a magazine in his molle vest.

"Wow, where did you get it from?" Linze asked, James chuckled "I got it from a far away place, I will also mention that these both are very loud." James warned as they started to leave for a weapon shop. Touya emerged fifteen minutes later holding a katana in his hand "All right, now we're all set." Elze said as they stood in a semi-circle. "I just noticed but your helmet looks weird, James." Linze said as she gestured to James helmet that had a set of L-3 GPNVG/FLIR pull down optics.

"Oh, these are a form of magic that lets me see at night." James explained as he covered his ass. "Okay, so as usual, you'll be our rear guard, Linzie, and I'll be our vanguard. Touya, you'll be a vanguard with me, right?" Elze asked, Touya nodded "Oh yeah, sure." Touya said. "That's an Eashen sword, isn't it?" Linzie asked, Touya looked down at it "Yeah." Touya said as he held a black card in his hand.

"Don't lose that or your guild card, getting one reissued is a real pain." Elze said, Touya nodded before they headed out, Murphy kept his rifle pointed toward the ground as they walked through the town. After fifteen minutes of walking, they finally arrived in the forest to the east of town, James moved ahead of the group and raised his rifle as they walked through the tree line.

Suddenly, five wolves leaped out of the brush and surrounded the group. Elze immediately threw her fist into the wolf and launched it through the air while Touya decapitated another wolf. James knelt and put two rounds into a wolf that had lunged into the air, Linzie ignited another wolf that was getting ready to attack. "Woah, was that magic?" Touya asked, Linzie nodded with a grin.

James pulled out his 412 Rex and put two rounds into the head of the last wolf, the canine hit the ground and slowly started to bleed onto the ground. James pulled out his knife before he opened the wolves' mouth "Uh James, what are you doing?" Touya asked, James sliced into the gum of the wolves' mouth and removed both fangs "I'm gonna either fashion this into a necklace or use them for something later." James said as he snapped the fangs out of its mouth. "But why?" Linzie asked confused, James chuckled "It's tradition in the Marine Corps that we make a necklace out of the teeth of predators in another land." James explained as the sound bone cracking echoed through the forest.

"Good job, both of you. The job was only to defeat five, but we managed to take down one extra." Elze said as she counted six horns in her hand. James pulled out his 412 and opened the reel, he emptied the shell casings and replaced them with fresh rounds before he closed it again.

James placed the fangs into his pocket before he placed his DMR on his back, he adjusted his bag and his IBA before Elze put the horns in a bag "Alright, let's head back to town." Elze said before the group made their way back to town. After another fifteen minutes of walking, they arrived back at the guild hall, Elze placed the horns onto the counter and pushed them forward "Yes, I can confirm we've received five One-Horned Wolf horns. What about that one?" The guild maid asked, referring to the horn under Touya's arm, Touya smiled "I thought I'd keep it as a memento of our first mission." Touya said, the guild maid smiled "Well, please present your guild cards." The maid said before the four of them placed their cards down.

"Now then, here's your reward, 18 copper coins. That completes your mission." The maid said as she slid a small stack of coins forward. "Well, I'm glad we partnered up with you. We would have had a harder time if it was just us. I think we might make a good party." Elze said as they walked back to the Inn, Linzie smiled "There aren't that many men who can keep up with Sis so easily, you know?" Linzie said, James stifled a laugh as he walked with them. "I was actually pretty nervous." Touya said after he glared at James.

"I never realized they were such ferocious beasts." Touya said as they entered the Inn. "So, I had a favor to ask you two, I'd like you to teach us how to read and write. Not being able to read is rather inconvenient." Touya said, Elze gave him a smug look "Especially when you can't read what your mission is about." Elze said smugly. "If that's the case, then you should have Linze teach you. She's smart, so she's good at teaching others." Elze said as she gestured to her twin sister.

Linze blushed "Th-That's not… true… But if you don't mind me, then…" Linze trailed on, Touya smiled "Thanks. It's a big help." Touya said, James perked up "Can you teach us how to use magic, I want to try using it myself." James said, this caught the twins off guard. "You want us to teach you magic? Do you have any aptitudes?" Elze asked, James and Touya looked at each other. "Aptitudes?" Touya asked confused. "Magic is strongly influenced by the aptitudes you're born with. Those without any aptitudes can never use magic, no matter how hard they try." Linze explained. "Aptitudes, huh?" James said as he looked at his hands. "Eh, it'll be fine." James said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Well, a certain individual gave us his seal of approval and said we'd be able to use magic soon." Touya said, Elze leaned forward "Who was that?" She asked curious which caused Touya to freeze but James slid in and saved him "Uh, someone very important. For me, it was a sacrifice that I earned my seal." James said, Touya exhaled slowly "Is there anyway we can test to see what aptitudes we have?" Touya asked, Linze pulled out a pouch of crystals and dumped them on the table.

"These are spell stones. They amplify, store, and release magical energy. If you use these… maybe water would be easiest to understand. Come forth, water." Linze said as she held the blue crystal over her empty tea cup, a steady stream of water came from the tip of the crystal into the cup. "This is active magic. This spell stone responded to my magical energy and created water." Linze said, Elze grabbed the crystal "By the way… Come forth, Water." Elze said as she held the crystal, but nothing happened.

"If you don't have an aptitude for Water, it turns out like this. This means I can't use Water magic." Elze explained, Touya tilted his head "So you can't use it, even though you're twins?" Touya asked, Elze squinted at him "I'm not proud of it, so don't be so direct about it." Elze said, James shook his head as he spun his Ka-Bar in his hand under the table. "Although Sis can't use Water magic, she can use Fortification magic. By the same token, I can't use that one. I need an aptitude for Fortification. Everyone possesses magical energies, but without an aptitude, you can't use any spells." Linze explained, James rubbed the back of his head "So then if I try that myself, we'll know if I have an aptitude or not?" James asked, Linze nodded "Yes. Hold the spell stone in your hand, focus your mind, and chant 'Come forth: Water.'" Linze explained as she handed him the spell stone.

James stared at the stone before he pointed it at Touya "Come forth: Water." James said before a large stream of water came out of the stone and sprayed Touya in the face. Touya wiped the water off his face with a cloth "Dick." Touya said while the twins giggled. He handed him the stone and pulled out his revolver that he sat on the table "Your turn, Touya." James said with a smirk. "Come forth: Water." Touya said as water came from the crystal in a large stream. "Are there other spell stones?" James asked, Linze and Elze looked shocked. "Th-There are, but… I think we should go outside to test the rest." Linze said in a stunned tone of voice.

The four of them stood up and made their way out the backdoor to an open area, James and Touya took turns testing the crystals which all worked for them. Linze and Elze stared at them in amazement "Who on earth are you two?" Elze asked as she leaned forward on her arms. "This is the first time I've seen anyone capable of using six elements. I can use three myself, but that's still rare, yet you two can use all six, that's incredible." Linze explained as James picked up a hazy white crystal.

"What's that spell stone?" James asked, Linze looked at the stone "That's a spell stone for Null magic. Null magic is special in that it doesn't have any set chants." Linze explained to the Marine. "Huh? Then how do you use it?" Touya asked confused, Linze turned to face both James and Touya "Well, for example, there's Sis's Fortification, which activates just by chanting 'Boost'. There's also 'Power Rise' which increase strength. A rare one would be 'Gate' which allows you to travel long distances." Linze explained, Touya seemed intrigued "Wow, magic that lets you travel long distances sounds really convenient." Touya said, Elze chuckled "Boost is more helpful." Elze said with a grin. "All the men who underestimated me because I'm a woman have paid for it, thanks to that." Elze said as she rested her arms on the table. "Fortification magic, huh? No wonder you're so strong." Touya said as he praised Elze slightly, she closed her eyes and giggled lightly "Yeah." Elze said with a smug grin.

"But how can you tell what kind of Null magic you'll able to use?" James asked, Elze tilted her head slightly "At some point, you just know the name of the spell somehow." Elze said. "Yes. Null magic is also called personal magic, and it's rare for two people to be able to use the same spell." Linze added.

"Then we won't know right away if we an aptitude for Null magic?" Touya asked, Linze shook her head "No, you'll know if you pick up the spell stone and try using some Null magic. Even if the spell doesn't activate, the spell stone should show some kind of change, like glowing or shuddering a bit. Why don't you try the Gate spell you were interested in?" Linze said with optimism.

Touya picked up the stone and stared at it "Gate!" Touya said loudly, the crystal flashed and blinked as a portal opened in the middle of the air. "It worked?" Touya asked confused, Linze stared in amazement "It did." Linze said as she stared at the portal. Touya stepped closer to the portal and placed his hand through the portal slowly before he stuck his head through. James, Elze, and Linze stuck their heads through as well "Hey, it's the forest we were just in." James said.

"The gate spell allows the caster to travel to places they've been before. You must have thought of this place when you used the spell." Linze said as they poked through the portal. "Oh! My turn. Power Rise!" James said after he took the crystal from Touya, the crystal glowed as James's body glowed white.

"Well, how do you feel?" Elze asked, James looked at his hands "I feel something, hey Touya, come here really quick." James said as he cracked his knuckles, Touya backed away slowly from him. The four of them made their way back into the Inn "I still can't believe you two can use all elements. There's something strange about both of you." Elze said, Linze seemed giddy "I've never heard of anyone being able to use all elements. You're incredible, both of you." Linze said with a blush.

Touya chuckled nervously as James leaned against the wall, but the Innkeeper soon grabbed their attention "Hey, sorry to interrupt your fun, but do you have a moment?" Micah asked. "Micah? What is it?" Elze asked confused, she gestured to a girl with smoky grey hair behind her "This girl's called Aer. She works at the café, Parent, but…" Micah explained. "Actually, I'm trying to think of something new to add to our menu." Aer said, Micah nodded "Since you're travelers, we thought you might have some ideas." Micah said.

"Food? Hmm, what would be good?" Elze asked. "Nothing's coming to mind." Linze said before she looked at Touya "How about you, Touya? James? Maybe some native Eashen dishes?" Linze asked. "If you know anything good, please tell me." Aer said with eagerness. "Well, what kind of food are you hoping for?" James asked as he crossed his arms. "Something light to eat, I suppose? Like a dessert, it would be even better if it's popular with women." Aer said, Touya pulled out his phone and opened up chrome "Something women would enjoy? All I can think of are crepes or ice, though." Touya said, Aer seemed confused "Ice? Frozen water?" Aer asked confused.

"No, not that. I meant ice cream." Touya said, the girls looked at him confused "Ice cream?" The girls asked confused. Touya typed into his phone as the girls watched on "What's that?" Linze asked curiously, Touya smiled nervously "Oh, a useful magical item, I suppose." Touya said, James held up his own phone. "We're the only ones who can use them, though." James said as he placed his phone back into his pocket.

"You're gonna need three eggs, 200 milliliters of heavy cream, about 60-80 grams of sugar, and Linze, can you use Ice magic?" Touya asked, Linze nodded "Yes, I can. It's water magic after all." Linze said. "What now? This sounds fun!" Elze asked eagerly. "James, do you have any input?" Touya asked, James pulled his bag off and dug into the back until he pulled out a small jar of long, black beans. "This is vanilla bean grown in the fields of Azerbaijan, a desert area far from here." James said as he passed the vile to Touya.

**Thirty minutes of prepping food and mild flirting by James later**

"Alright, it's done." Touya said as everyone dug into it. "It's so good." Aer said as she slipped into a state of pure ecstasy. "I've never had anything like this before." Elze said as she gulped down another spoonful. "I think this'll be popular with women. What do you think about adding it to your menu?" Touya asked, Aer smiled in appreciation "Thank you very much! We'll be using this ice cream! I'll try making it one more time!" Aer said enthusiastically.

"I've got a recipe that's great as well." James said as he pushed himself off the wall, but Aer paid him no mind "Thank you again, Touya." Aer said with a smile. "Again, what are you? Not to mention that strange device!" Elze said inquisitively, Linze nodded "I'm really curious, too." Linze said in wonder. Touya chuckled nervously "It's a secret. But thanks to it, I managed to repay you two." Touya said, Linze tilted her head "Repay us?" Linze asked confused, Touya nodded "For teaching us magic. Or something like that." Touya said with a smile, James leaned back against the wall and lowered his head as he crossed his arms 'Man, they don't even want to try baklava?' James thought to himself as he slightly shook his head.

_*Four hours later; 1500 hours*_

James, Touya, Linze, and Elze had left the town and had moved onto another city, James leaned against the side of the cart while Linze held the reigns, Elze was sound asleep, and Touya took a picture of her. "Dude, that's creepy." James said as he shook his head, Touya stuttered as he put his phone away "It-it's n-not like that." Touya said as he made an excuse. The cart came to a stop and everyone disembarked in the new city "Let's find an inn in this city tonight." Touya said, Elze nodded "Yeah, we have a long way to go before the royal capital." Elze said as she placed her hands on her hips, Touya smiled "Were you two really okay with the request to deliver a letter to the royal capital? Wouldn't the listing beside it to defeat the megaslime be better?" Touya asked, the twins seemed ticked off "No!" The twins yelled in unison, Touya seemed confused "Why not?" Touya asked confused.

"I hate squishy and springy creatures like slimes. It's an inherent dislike!" Elze exclaimed, Linze nodded adamantly. "Besides, those things melt your clothes and stuff. Absolutely no way!" Elze exclaimed, James looked over at Touya who seemed to be imagining something, James shook his head as Elze looked at Linze "Let's grab a meal before going to the inn. I hope there's a place like the Silver Moon." Elze said to her sister, Touya perked up at the mention of the other Inn "In that case, wouldn't it be easier to use Gate to return to the Silver Moon and start from here again tomorrow?" Touya asked, the girls shook their head in unison "No way!" The girls exclaimed.

'Jesus, they really are twins' James thought to himself, he felt his phone go off and looked down at it to see he had a new message… from G-Man, he opened the text message that simply read 'Don't talk about my son like that.' James chuckled and texted him back 'But aren't we all your children? Why can't I talk about my older brother?' James typed before he sent the message and chuckled to himself. James received another text in matter of seconds with a simple message from the G-man '(-_-;)'

"Huh?" Touya said confused before Elze explained their objection "It's better to stay in unfamiliar places and visit unfamiliar stores when you're in an unfamiliar town. You just don't get it." Elze said as Linze nodded again, James scoffed to himself "Not when you're in Kabul." James said to himself as he looked around the town, mainly the rooftops and alleyways.

"Hey, hold it, you!" A voice yelled from a crowd, the group turned around quickly before James took off running toward the crowd "What's going on?" Touya asked as he followed James. James made his way through the crowd and got to the inner circle to see a girl with black hair surrounded by angry thugs. "That girl's wearing an odd outfit." Linze said as she watched in wonder, Touya tilted his head "She's a samurai." Touya said as he watched. "Samurai?" Linze asked confused, James leaned down, so he was close to her "A Samurai is an ancient warrior who followed a code of honor. They were very noble warriors." James explained to the mage.

"Lady, I hear you took real good care of my buddies." One of the thugs yelled, the samurai tilted her head "Oh, you are with the men I turned in to the guards, yes? The fault for that lies with you, it is what you get for running amok." The girl said. "Shut up! Get her!" A thug wielding a stick yelled before he lunged forward, the samurai grabbed him by the wrist and slammed him onto his back.

"I've never seen techniques like that before!" Elze exclaimed as James and Touya watched "That's Jiu-Jitsu." James and Touya said at the same time as the samurai lunged out of the way as a thug swung his sword down toward the ground, the samurai spun around immediately and slammed the wooden staff into the attacker's face and followed it up by slamming her elbow into another thug's ribcage. She readied herself to fight but grabbed her stomach as her stomach roared in hunger.

"Look out! Behind you!" Linze yelled as a man leaped at her from behind and readied his sword to strike, but Touya readied himself "Come forth, Sand! Obstructing Dust Storm: Blind Sand!" Touya yelled as a ring of sand wrapped itself around the attacking swordsman's face and body. "My eyes!" The man exclaimed as James sprinted forward and leaped into the air before he drove his knee down into the man's face, the man was sent flying and clattered to the brick road below. James unsheathed his Ka-Bar and held it in a ready stance as one of the thugs dashed toward the samurai and sliced downward, but James parried the strike and slammed his boot into the thug's kneecap, snapping it backwards. The man dropped to the ground and shrieked in agony; "It's the guards!" One of the thugs yelled as they ran from the scene "Touya! Let's get out of here." Linze said to the teenager, Touya nodded and grabbed the samurai by the hand "All right. You hurry, too." Touya said as he held the samurai's hand which caused her to blush.

"Yeah, I'm here too, guys." James said as he dropped one of the thugs and took up the rear as they ran into an alley. The group came to a stop before they faced the new person "I think we've run far enough now." Touya said as he faced the new girl. The mysterious girl smiled and bowed slightly "I am grateful for your assistance. I am called Kokonoe Yae. Oh, Yae is my given name and Kokonoe is my family name." The girl said as she held up her hand.

"Are you from Eashen, then?" Touya asked, the girl nodded "Indeed. I come from Oedo in Eashen." Yae said, James and Touya looked at each other surprised 'Isn't that in South Korea?' James thought to himself as Touya rubbed the side of his face with his index finger. "I'm Mochizuki Touya. Touya's my given name. Mochizuki's my family name." Touya said, Yae clapped her hands together "Oh! Touya, are you from Eashen, as well?" Yae asked, her question surprised Touya who held his hands up "Oh, no. I'm from a different country that's very similar." Touya said as he made an excuse, his remark surprised Linze and Elze 'Smooth move, exlax.' James thought to himself. "More importantly, you looked a bit unsteady back there." Touya said as he approached the Eashen girl.

"Well, embarrassing though it is, I lost my travel funds on the way here, so…" Yae started to say before her stomach growled loudly. "How about we find a place to eat to continue this conversation." James said as he adjusted his bag and rifle on his back. Touya nodded before the five of them left the alleyway. As they walked down the street, James kept looking up at the rooftops of the buildings they passed, Linze looked to where he was looking but saw nothing, "Uh, James. What are you looking for?" Linze asked confused, her question snapped James out of a state of focus "Huh? Oh, uh. I guess it's just an old habit of mine. It's nothing." James said as he deflected her question.

They quickly found a café and entered to have lunch; they ordered a variety of foods for the table which arrived after about twenty minutes. "I will gladly partake!" Yae exclaimed before she dug into the smorgasbord that was laid out in front of her. "Slow down, there's plenty of food here." James said but his words went unheeded. "So, you're traveling to improve your martial arts, Yae?" Linze asked. "Indeed." Yae said as she chewed her food before she swallowed. "My family has produced generations of warriors. I chose to travel in order to hone my skills." Yae said as she answered Linze's question. "I see." Elze said before Yae continued "Someday, I shall become a swordsman on par with my father and older brother!" Yae said before she continued to stuff her face. 'Jesus this girl can eat.' James thought to himself as he ate some of the food on his plate. "So, Yae, what are you doing after this?" Linze asked as Yae destroyed a bowl of noodles. "For now, I'm planning to head to the royal capital to test my strength." Yae said as she ate a kebab.

"What a coincidence. We're heading to the royal capital for work, as well. Hey, would you like to come with us?" Elze asked as Yae was about to kill a bowl of soup. "Do you truly… mean that?" She asked as she slurped down the soup. "After you've shown me such hospitality… Since it's come to this, please allow me to serve you to the best of my abilities." Yae said as she scarfed down some food that James didn't recognize. "You don't mind, right, Touya?" Linze asked the boy. "Oh, no, I don't." Touya said as the others looked at him.

"It's settled, then." Elze said as Touya counted the money in his sack. "I'm James by the way, nice to meet you." James said to Yae who simply nodded. 'What the actual fuck.' James thought to himself as the three ladies talked amongst themselves. The group left the café and departed the town via horse and cart, Yae and Elze rode up front while Linze, Touya, and James sat in the back of the cart. James kept his rifle in his lap and his head on a swivel. "So, you can handle horses too, Yae?" Touya asked.

Yae nodded "I have trained in the equestrian arts, yes." Yae said, Elze smiled "That means the four of us can trade off. Frankly, it was a bit hard with just me and Linze." Elze said, Touya lowered his head "I'm ashamed." Touya said, Linze shook her head "Heavens, no. Touya, you're a talented mage, aren't you?" Linze said as she held a green book, Elze leaned back and smiled "He can use my own boost, not just Elemental magic." Elze said. "Apparently Touya and James can activate most Null Magic as long as they know the spell name and details about its effects." Linze said as she continued to hold the green book. "Good grief… When he's _that_ all-powerful, it's more exasperating than surprising." Elze said as Linze handed the book to Touya. "But there are many different types of Null Magic, right?" Touya asked as he flipped through the book.

Linze nodded "Yes. It's mostly personal magic, so it's said there are as many types as there are users." Linze said. "So, there's a preposterous number of them, huh?" Touya asked, Linze smiled "But unlike Elemental magic, only certain individuals can use them, so few know exactly what kinds of Null Magic exist. The magic tomes circulating now are all just hobbyists' collections." Linze explained. "Well, there aren't many who'd go out of their way to study magic they can't use themselves." Touya said as he flipped through the pages.

Touya read a few of the spells before he looked up "Yeah, despite how many there are, most are useless." Touya said as he held the book. "Well, you never know when they'll be useful, so what's wrong with learning every one of them you can?" Elze asked as she looked ahead down the road. 'Well, if god boosted our memory then we should have no problem then.' James thought to himself as he remained silent.

"What about you, James?" Touya asked as he handed him the book. "Yeah, let me find one so I can make more bullets." James said as he took the book from Touya. "Bullets?" Elze asked confused, James pulled the magazine from his M110 and pulled a .308 Winchester from the magazine "This is a bullet, more specifically, this is a .308 Winchester round. These are heavy hitting rounds." James said before he replaced the round back into the magazine and the magazine back into the receiver.

"Here's one, a spell to draw distant objects into your hand. That could be useful." Touya said, Linze leaned over and looked at the book. "Why don't you try using it?" Linze asked, Touya closed his eyes as he held his hand out "Aports." Touya said as a glowing sigil formed above his hand, it disappeared and left nothing in his hand.

"Well, that sucked." James said as he leaned back against the side of the cart, Elze turned around and looked at Touya "What did you try drawing toward you?" Elze asked, Touya looked over at Yae as she held the reins "I figured Yae would be surprised if she suddenly lost her katana." Touya said as he continued to hold his hand out, James held his hand up and looked at it "Aports." James said before the same sigil formed on his hand. "Maybe a katana was too heavy for it to work?" Elze said, Touya looked down at the book as he continued to hold his hand out. "It does say it works on small objects. This time I'll picture it clearly." Touya said as he closed his eyes.

"Aports." Touya said after he inhaled slowly, Yae let out a yelp which surprised everyone. "What, what? Touya, what did you take?" Elze asked, James shook his head as Touya lifted his hand. "This. The ribbon tying Yae's hair." Touya said, Linze smiled "It worked, then. Depending on how it's used, that could be convenient or terrifying." Linze said, James chuckled "I'm leaning towards more terrifying." James said as he closed his eyes. "Terrifying?" Touya asked confused, Elze got into Touya's face "Because you'd lose objects without realizing it. You could pickpocket all you want with that spell, right?" Elze asked, Touya looked down as he rubbed his chin "I see. It is scary when you think of it that way.

I guess it could steal money, gems, and things of that nature." Touya said as he thought about it. Elze squinted her eyes at him "Don't go doing it, okay?" Elze warned the boy, Linze leaned closer to him "Please don't do it." Linze pleaded, Touya raised his hands "I won't. But I wonder if you could use this to draw things like underwear to you." Touya said which caused the two girls to shriek.

"I'm just joking." Touya said, James scoffed "No he's not." James said as he stretched out on the bench. Touya glared at him before Yae spoke up "Umm… My hair is blowing about in the wind." Yae said as her jet-black hair flew about in the wind. They pulled off to the side of the road so Linze could retie Yae's hair tie. "Eh, wake me up when you need me." James said as he laid back on the bench and closed his eyes. "Hmm, a spell that reduces friction for a short period of time, Slip." Touya said as he looked up James with a smirk. "I swear to god, Touya. If you use that on me, I will shoot you myself." James said without even opening his eyes, Touya gulped audibly before he turned the page. "Hey James, here's one you could use. Close your eye… well, keep them closed and say the words 'Long Sense'." Touya said, James sighed.

"Fine. Ahem, Long Sense." James stated as his senses expanded, he shot up and stared off into the distance. "James, what is it?" Elze asked, James narrowed his eyes as he scanned the horizon. "Blood, and nearby too. Aports!" James stated as his rifle formed into his grasp. Yae smacked the reins to make the horses go faster, James moved to the far-right corner of the cart as he scanned the horizon with his rifle. As the cart came to a stop, James leaped out of the cart and assessed the situation at hand. "Holy shit, those are some big gators." James said as he raised the rifle and fired, the round struck the green creature in the head. The gator-critter collapsed to the ground in a puddle of purple blood "Hey shit sticks! Over here!" James said as he got their attention.

Suddenly, a fireball flew past James and struck the ground in between the gators, the explosion engulfed the creatures quickly as Elze leaped into the fray and wham bam slammed a gator into the ground. Yae sprinted forward and sliced two across the stomach before she tripped on a rock "Touya!" James yelled; the boy nodded "Slip!" Touya shouted before the gator lost its footing and slammed into the ground. James ran up and put two rounds into its head, he extended his hand to Yae, but she pushed herself up off the ground.

"You have my gratitude." Yae said as she walked up to Touya with the others, the boy smiled "I'm glad you're safe." Touya said in response which caused the girl to blush slightly. James turned around as he heard a roar behind them "Alright ladies, there's still more. That means you too, Touya!" James yelled before he ran headfirst into the fray. "Geez, what's his problem?" Elze asked, Touya sighed slightly "He was trained by some of the most elite soldiers in the world, they're tough and they're effective as hell." Touya said as he watched James engage the gator-critters. "Come forth, dark! I seek a scalebound warrior: Lizardman!" A cloaked man said as his shadow expanded, and a gator-critter crawled out of it. "Oh, you're mine now, pussy." James said as he shot two more critters in the head.

James took off in a dead sprint and slammed the cloaked man to the ground, he pulled his revolver out and stuck it to his head "Give a reason I shouldn't blow your head off!?" James yelled before he shot a round into a tree, the loud boom shook the man to his core as the smoking barrel was placed against his temple again. The man fumbled with his words as tears started to form in his eyes, James shook his head "Pathetic." James said before he pistol-whipped him in the back of the head to knock him out.

After minutes of fighting, they were successful in eliminating the gator-critters from the area, Yae tied the hooded man up with rope and sat him against a tree. Three guys in vomit yellow clothing approached the five travelers "You all saved us back there." A man with brown hair said as he held a large sword in his right hand. Touya shook his head "No. More importantly, is anyone hurt?" Touya asked, the man looked down "Seven guards were killed, if only I had noticed earlier." The man said before the sound of a girl yelling filled the area. "Someone! Is anyone there?!" The voice yelled. James's head jerked to the left as he eyed the cart "There!" He yelled before he took off toward it, he slid to a stop as he came upon a girl with blonde hair crying over a butler with a chest wound. "Severe chest trauma. Hit by an arrow, I'm gonna need a sharp knife, pliers, and some…" James started to say before Touya held his hand over the butler. "Aports!" Touya said as his hand started to glow, and an arrowhead formed in his palm. He held his hand over the wound again "Come forth, light! Soothing comfort: Cure heal!" Touya said as the wound glowed in a bright light, the man's shaking slowed and his breathing returned to normal as he opened his eyes. "The pain is fading?" The man said before he sat up, the girl wrapped her arms around him and gave him a tight hug. "Leim!" The girl exclaimed as she hugged the butler.

"Well, that's good to know." James said as he hopped out of the cart, Touya gave him a smirk "I suggest sticking to what you're best at." Touya said, James turned around and looked at the boy "Oh, and what is that?" James asked as he held the rifle where the magazine met the receiver. "Killing." Touya said before he turned to face the butler again, James chuckled as he looked down at the ground "Yeah… what I'm good at." James said as a pained expression grew across his face.

**A/N: Well, here it is. Another fic that I started that is gonna be insanely hard to finish writing. Why? Because it's two things 1. Harem anime. 2. Fan service. (Why do I torture myself like this?) Anyway, let me know what you think and if you'd like to see this continued. Remember to Favorite, Follow, and Leave a Review. And as always, this is Nightmare 6-4, signing off.**


	2. Chapter 2: Shock and Awe

Ch. 2 – Shock and Awe

**In Another World with My Smartphone is owned by AT-X, Tokyo MX, and BS11, I only own the OCs. I'm glad y'all like it, I'll try to keep as close to the source material as I can. See you in the Author's Notes.**

James stood on top of the carriage and used his rifle to survey the area around them as Touya reassured the young girl and her wounded butler "You've truly saved us. How could we ever thank you…" The butler started to say before he placed his hand on his chest in a formal manner. "But first, introductions. I am Reim, a butler in service to Duke Ortlinde. And this person here is the Duke's daughter, Suushie Ernea Ortlinde." Reim said as he introduced the young woman who curtsied "I'm Suushie Ernea Ortlinde, it's a pleasure to meet you all." Suushie said as she formally introduced herself.

"I thank you, Touya or whatever your name is. You saved Reim, no, not just Reim but all of our lives." Suushie said gleefully. Touya looked at the girl confused before he looked back at Yae and the twins who stared daggers at him "What's wrong?" Touya asked, Elze snapped "What's wrong?! How can you be so calm? Duke! The Duke!" Elze exclaimed, Linze chimed in with a much calmer voice "A Duke is the highest rank a noble can have. Unlike other nobles, the title of 'Duke' is only given to members of the royal family." Linze explained.

"Eh?" Touya said confused until Suushie placed her hand on her chest "Indeed, my father Duke Alphred Ernea Ortlinde is the younger brother of his Royal Highness." Suushie stated as she stood in front of them cordially. Touya rubbed is chin "Which means you're the king's niece. Wow." Touya said as he finally put two and two together. James sighed "And the last horse crosses the finish line, and the crowd goes mild…" James said as he stared into the distance.

Touya looked up at James with a 'dude, what the fuck?' expression before he returned his attention to the young woman before him "Umm Lady… Suushie?" Touya asked nervously, Suushie laughed lightly "Sue will suffice, this isn't a formal setting, no need for formalities." Suushie said playfully.

"As I said before, we all owe you our lives." Suushie said with a smile, James turned around and watched Yae and the twins bowed before the noblewoman. She held her hands up as she tried to get everyone to stand up "In reality, we should be the ones bowing our head, please raise your heads." Suushie said as the three girls rose from the ground. Touya rubbed his chin in thought "But why would the Duke's daughter be in a place like this?" Touya asked confused.

"We're returning from my grandmother's, my mother's mother. There was something we wanted to investigate; we were returning after about one month's absence. To think this would happen, we were completely caught off guard. The attackers were hired for money, but it seems they know nothing of their employer, what their purpose was or under whose orders they were moving…" Suushie explained, James crouched on the roof of the carriage and looked at the noblewoman and her butler.

"My guess is they were gonna kidnap you and ransom you back to the kingdom for a large sum of money, but… it looks they won't be doing shit now." James said as he picked his rifle back up, Touya looked at him shocked at what he said like 'Dude, what the fuck?!'. "Well? Suush… Sue, what will you do from here?" Touya asked, Reim cleared his throat "About that, you see… with over half the guard defeated, in this state, if we were to be attacked again, we couldn't protect the young lady. We would like to ask you and your friends to escort us, would we be able to employ you?" Reim asked the five-person group.

Touya stammered with his words before James leaped down from the carriage and landed in front of Reim and Sue "We'd be happy to escort you to your destination; we'll protect you with our lives." James said before he knelt before them. 'Thank god I played a lot of Elder Scrolls in High School.' James thought to himself.

"There's no need to kneel, rise." Suushie said as she lightly touched his helmet. "Touya, you ride with Suushie, I'll take up the forward while the ladies hold the rear." James said as he climbed back on the roof of the royal carriage.

Within minutes the carriage convoy was on the move as it made its way toward the Royal Capital, James surveyed his surroundings as the carriage moved along the desolate road. James watched the horizon to the right and watched as a few figures poked out of the brush with weapons in hand, James raised his rifle and swiftly put each of them down. The clap of each shot echoed with a thunderous roar that sent birds flying and animals scattered, the rounds hit their targets with devastating effects.

The rounds ripped through their victims and spilt their blood on the forest floor, two were hit in the chest while a third was hit square between the eyes. The fourth attempted to run but James pulled out his revolver and put three rounds into the man's back before he holstered it again. "James, everything alright?" Touya asked as he poked his head out the side of the carriage, James laughed a little "Never better, there's nothing like snuffing out the light of terrorists. It's better than coffee." James said as he replaced the spent shells in his revolver with fresh ones.

James walked to the back of the carriage and called to the ladies behind them "Hey Linze, can you hold up that book of magic stuff we were reading earlier?" James asked, Linze fished the book from her bag and held it into the air. "Aports." James said out loud, the book seemingly disappeared from Linze's hands and appeared in James's hands.

James sat on the carriage and flipped through the book "Oh, this is cool." James said as he pulled out a fresh magazine from his vest and held it in his hand "Copy." James said as he held his hand up, a sigil formed around the magazine as another one formed on top of it. James picked it up and looked at it, he pulled out a round and inspected it thoroughly before he replaced the round back into the magazine.

James stood up and placed the magazines back into his vest, James unzipped his bag and placed the book into it before he replaced it onto his back. After an hour of travel and laughter coming from the carriage, they finally arrived at the Royal Capital "Alright folks, looks like we're here." James announced to the convoy as the horse hooves clicked against the brick road below. James held his rifle pointed toward the ground as he surveyed the area from the roof of the carriage as it pulled up to a large mansion, James let out a long whistle as he looked at everything "Man, this is nice." James said before he leapt from the carriage.

Reim opened the carriage door and guided Suushie out of the carriage, the double doors opened to reveal a large room with giant marble support pillars, maids formed a path to a large staircase as they bowed as a sign of respect. "Welcome back, young lady." The maids said in unison as Suushie strolled in without a care in the world. "Sue!" A blonde male stated loudly as Suushie ran and hugged him "Father!" She exclaimed as she embraced her father in a loving hug.

Touya followed in behind her with the girls in tow, James was about to walk in when the door shut in his face "… What the fuck?" James said as he opened the door and walked in. "Halt! Your highness, there appears to be an enemy soldier here." A guard said as he cornered James with his sword drawn, James held his hands up confused "Seriously, what the fuck is going on?" James asked confused. "No, he's with us." Touya said as he spoke up in James's defense. The guard sheathed his sword and moved away from James while maintaining a glare at the Marine, James took a step forward which caused a few maids to step away from him.

"Alright, I know I look scary, but this is common military attire where I'm from." James said as he shook his head, he hadn't been in this new world a week and it already felt like being back in the streets of Afghanistan. "Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Alfred Elnes Ortlinde." The Duke said as he introduced himself.

"Mochizuki Touya, Touya is my first name and Mochizuki is my family name." Touya said as he introduced himself. The Duke shook his hand eagerly "Ah, you must be from Ishen?" Alfred asked as he shook Touya's hand. James clicked his boots together as he stood at attention and saluted the Duke "Sergeant James Murphy, United States Marine Corp, sir." James said as he recited the words that had been beat into him during basic.

"United… States…?" The said unsurely, James chuckled nervously "Yes sir, it's a nation far from here but a fairly large one. Marines are the elite warriors, the best of the best. The few, the proud, the Marines." James said as he repeated the recruitment slogan.

"Oh, fascinating. Well, thank you for protecting my daughter." The Duke said thankfully, James nodded "Just doing my job, sir." James said as he stood with his hands behind his back. "Well, tell me everything. Come." Alfred said as he guided the group up the stairs while Suushie disappeared to her quarters with a maid.

The group explained the entire series of events from first contact to arrival at the Royal Capital "Ah, I see. You all came to the Royal Capital to deliver a letter for a request from the Guild." The Duke said as he analyzed everything he was told. "If you hadn't accepted that request, Sue may have been kidnapped or killed. My thanks to whoever made the request." The Duke said as he thanked the mystery person.

"Do you have any idea who the attackers might have been?" Touya asked as James stared out the window and scanned the rooftops. "I… can't say I don't. I'm sure there are many Nobles who are thinking to inconvenience me considering my position." Alfred said solemnly. "James, what are you looking for?" Touya asked as he noticed James staring intently out the window. "Snipers." James said as he glared at the rooftops.

As he scanned the roofs, he saw a light glint from a dark spot on a roof "Found you." James said as he opened the window and stuck the barrel of his rifle out as he adjusted the mills on his scope, as he zeroed in on the glint, he found that it was a broken mirror reflecting the sun. "Shit, false alarm." James said as he turned the safety back on and closed the window.

"What is that?" Alfred asked curiously, James chuckled "It's like a crossbow, but the arrows are small and fly super-fast, it's hard to dodge them." James said as he placed the rifle's sling over his shoulder. "What's a sniper?" Linze asked confused, James crossed his arms and lowered his head as he recalled his training.

"Long range reconnaissance capable of taking out targets from long distances and completely undetected. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision rifles like this one here and high-magnification optics, and often feed information back to their units or command headquarters." James explained as he recalled his Marine Corps Marksman training.

"We're like Archers but our 'arrows' don't need an arc pattern; they can fly straight." James continued before a young voice called out from a door on the side of the room "Father, sorry to keep you waiting." Suushie called out as she ran into the room and greeted the group. "Did you speak with Elen?" Alfred asked his daughter as she took a seat next to her father.

"Elen?" Touya asked confused. "Ah, my wife. My apologies, even though you saved our daughter, she can't come out. My wife is blind, you see." Alfred explained, the members of the group were taken aback by the sudden news "Blind?" Linze asked as she tried to clear up any confusion. "From a sickness five years ago… Her life was spared, but she lost her eyesight." Alfred explained. "Did you try to heal her with magic?" Linze asked concerned, Alfred lowered his head solemnly.

"We called out to all users of healing magic in the country but… it was no use." Alfred explained as he seemed to become depressed. "If only Grandfather had still been alive…" Suushie said as she looked up at Touya who looked perplexed until Alfred spoke up again. "My wife's father… Sue's grandfather, my father-in-law, could use a special kind of magic. It could remove any irregularity from the body. This was the reason for Sue's trip, we wanted to see if she could understand and learn to use my father-in-law's magic." Alfred explained.

"Grandfather's magic could heal mother's eyes." Suushie stated before she looked down at the floor. "If only we could find someone able to use the same kind of magic as grandfather…" Suushie continued before she trailed off. "Sue, I told you the chances of that are extremely low… The majority of Null magic is personal magic, there are no two people that can use the same magic." Alfred stated as he closed his eyes.

The mention of 'Null' caused James's head to perk up "Excuse me, but did you say… Null?" James asked, Alfred nodded "Yes, it was a spell that was very personal to my father-in-law." Alfred clarified, James nodded "What's the name of the spell and where is your wife?" James asked as he stood up straight, the light came through the window and casted him in a heroic halo of sunlight.

Alfred stood up and led the group into the master bedroom where a woman sat on her bed and stared off into the ether. "Oh my, visitors?" The woman asked as she looked toward the source of noise, James's steel-toed boots thundered across the hardwood floor as he approached the woman. "Hello Ma'am, my name is James Murphy and if you'll allow me, I'd like to try and heal your eyesight." James explained, she tilted her head perplexed "My… eyes…?" She asked. "Honey, who is this person?" Elen asked confused, Alfred approached her and held her hand "This is one of the people who saved Sue and after hearing about you, has come to look at your eyes." Alfred explained as Suushie walked up and grabbed her mother's hand.

"Mother, please relax." Suushie pleaded, the woman nodded as she closed her eyes and relaxed her shoulders. James held his hand over her eyes and closed his own as he focused "Recovery." James said out loud before his hand started to glow white, the light disappeared as he removed his hand and watched as the cloudiness in the woman's eyes dissipated after she slowly opened them.

"Alright, be very careful. Your eyes are still getting used to light and shit like that." James explained as he clenched his hands together. Elen blinked a couple times as she looked up at her husband and daughter "… I can see. I can see. I can see, honey!" Elen stated happily as tears started to stream down her cheeks. Alfred and Suushie swarmed her as they embraced her lovingly, James stepped back and placed his hands behind his back as the girls started to cry and Touya seemed to glare at him.

James looked over at the boy and shrugged his shoulders, silently saying 'Can I fucking help you?'. Touya looked away and addressed the family "Well, I'm glad we were able to help you." Touya stated, Alfred nodded "You all have really done so much for us. We can't thank you enough, not just my daughter, but my wife as well… thank you so much." Alfred stated as he looked at the group.

"It was no problem, sir." James said as he clicked his feet together and stood at attention. "You must let me thank you. Reim, bring what we discussed." Alfred said as he summoned the butler, the butler walked in carrying a tray with a sack and a folded cloth on it. Alfred picked the bag up and held it with both hands.

"First, here. This is my thanks in regard to saving my daughter from her assailants as well as escorting her here. Inside is ten platinum coins." Alfred stated which shook the three girls to their core. "Uhh, is that a lot?" James asked confused. "The denomination above gold coins… One platinum is worth ten gold coins." Elze explained.

"All together, that's like 40 million Yen." Touya whispered to James, the Marine looked down at the kid and raised his eyebrow as he pulled out his phone before he typed the numbers into a conversion calculator. "That's $367,278.00 USD. But seeing as stuff around here is dirt cheap, we should be good for a while." James explained quietly but Touya spoke up "Tha-that's way too much! We can't accept this." Touya said as he held his hands up.

Alfred chuckled "Please, I want you to take it. If you all are going to live as adventurers, you will surely need this money. You can think of it as those funds." Alfred stated, Touya lowered his hands and nodded slowly as Alfred picked up the cloth off the tray.

"Also, I'd like to give you all these. Unfortunately, I only have four." Alfred explained as he presented the medallions to Touya, Yae, Linze, and Elze. Alfred turned to James and bowed to him "I'm sorry I'm not able to provide you with one of my family medals." Alfred apologized, James shook his head "It's perfectly alright, don't worry about it." James said as he reassured the Duke.

"With this, you will be able to freely pass through checkpoints as well as use facilities that only nobles can have access to. It is evidence that you have The Duchy's support in any case, it'll become your proof of identity." The Duke explained, Touya, Linze, Elze, and Yae bowed to the Duke while James saluted the man.

The five adventurers gathered their things before they left the mansion and climbed into the back of a carriage, Suushie called out as the carriage pulled away from the Duke's residents "Come visit again! You better, okay!" Suushie yelled. The group waved back before they disappeared over the horizon, James stood near the front of the carriage and held his rifle pointed downward as he looked ahead of them.

***Several hours later (the manga literally provides no explanation between the two scenes so I skipped ch. 5 of the manga.) 1400 hours***

The carriage moved down the road in the Royal Capital and came to a stop near a strip of buildings "Since we're in the capital, we wouldn't go back right away, right? We have plenty of money, so let's do some shopping." Elze said before the group disembarked from the carriage. James grabbed the bag of money from Touya and fished out two platinum coins along with his Dutchy medallion. "Hey, that's -!" Touya yelled, but James never turned around as he shot him the bird as he disappeared into the crowd.

James approached a man sweeping the ground in front of his store, the man was startled when James approached him "Oh, don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt ya. I was wondering where I can find raw material like metal or saltpeter?" James asked, the man relaxed a little bit before he gave the Marine directions "It's in the East Street, but they only service Nobles." The shopkeep explained before the Marine held up the medallion.

"Uhh… Yeah, that'll get you in." The shopkeep said stunned before James moved on down the street. James walked with his rifle on his back as he moved through the crowd of people until he came up the sight of a small girl with golden blonde hair, fox ears, and a fox tail. The Marine walked up to the girl and knelt next to her; he lightly touched her shoulder to get her attention but startled her enough to make her bite her tongue.

"Hey, hey, it's alright. I'm not gonna hurt you, are you okay?" James asked, the girl wiped her tears "Um, I, I got separated from my companion. We decided on a meeting place if we got separated but, I don't know where that place is…" The girl explained. James pulled out his phone and pulled up google maps on it "What's the name of the place?" James asked the young girl who looked at the Marine with a combination of intrigue and intimidation.

"I think it was a magic shop named 'Luka'." The girl said, James tapped away as he typed the name and pressed 'search', a red blip popped up on the map and gave him turn by turn directions. "I'll take you there. You can ride on my shoulders if you want." The man said, the young girl nodded before she climbed up onto his back and sat on his shoulders, she held onto his helmet for stability as he started to walk. "My name is James, what's yours?" Sgt. Murphy asked the young girl on his shoulders.

"Alma, it's nice to meet you. Umm, why are you dressed strangely?" Alma asked the Marine curiously, James chuckled "I'm from a distance land called 'America' and I'm one of their elite soldiers, called 'Marines'. The mention of our name strikes fear into the hearts of evil and we're effective. This is our traditional battle attire, I'm what's known as a 'Marksman', kinda like an archer." James explained, Alma looked at his helmet before she tapped on his NVG/FLIR goggles.

"What are these?" She asked as they pushed through the crowd, James ran through his mind for an explanation until one popped up "They're a magical item that lets me see at night and a person's body heat in the wilderness." James explained, Alma gasped in wonder as they approached their destination.

A woman who looked about sixteen or seventeen looked around worried before Alma called out to her "Big sister!" Alma called out as James knelt and let her off his shoulders, the young girl ran to her older sister and embraced her in a hug. James smiled before he disappeared into the crowd of people, the older sister looked around and tried to find him but came up empty.

As James strolled through the East Side, he kept his eyes open for a materials shop. "Thief!" A voice shrieked out, James turned to see a man running with a knife in one hand and a bag in another, a woman was on the ground crying as others gathered around to console her. James pulled the rifle from his back and pushed the stock up to his shoulder as he looked down the scope, he took a deep breath before he squeezed the trigger. The rifle bucked as a round erupted from the barrel and screamed through the air until it met its target, the round pierced the man's flesh and dropped him to the ground with a thud.

The Marine placed the rifle on his back before he moved to retrieve the stolen goods from the man who was in agony, he picked the bag up and carried it back to the woman as guards gathered around the thief. James placed the bag down at her side before he once again disappeared into the crowd 'Can't draw a crowd, just get to the supplies shop.' James thought to himself until he found said shop.

The Marine entered the building and was greeted by a male shopkeeper "Greetings. Do you have anything that would prove your identity?" The shopkeeper asked, James fished the medallion out of his pocket and flashed it to the man "Alright, how can I help you?" The man asked.

"Right, what kind of materials do you sell? Steel?" James asked, the man nodded "We have steel, yes." The shopkeeper replied. "Cool, I'll need these items." James said before he started to write down a list of items.

***30 Minutes later.***

"Alright, well, here's everything… I'm not sure what this Uranium is, but other than that, this is everything you asked for." The shopkeeper explained as he gestured to four large crates of supplies. James pulled his bag off and pulled the book of Null spells out before he flipped through it "Ah here it is. Ahem, Storage!" James said as he held his hand out, a large portal formed in the middle of the air that shocked the shopkeeper.

"Gravity." James said as he placed his hand on each box, the weight of the crates lightened as James lifted them with ease and tossed them into the storage portal which closed after the fourth was tossed in. "How much do I owe you?" James asked, the shopkeeper ran the numbers before he held up one finger "One gold piece." The shopkeeper said before James tossed down the platinum piece, the man took the piece and replaced it with nine gold pieces which James placed in his pocket. "Pleasure doing business with you. Gate!" James said before he yelled the Null spell and opened the portal to where they started.

James stepped through and found himself beside the carriage as Touya returned wearing a white coat. "Can I have my medal back?" Touya asked somewhat irked, James chuckled "Sure Tofu. But first, Copy." James said as he held the medal in his hand and produced an exact copy, he handed the original back to Tofu.

"Wait, what?" Touya asked confused, James chuckled as he held up the spell book "Maybe read this sometime." James said before he put it back into his bag. James climbed back into the carriage as Yae snapped the reigns, the carriage took off as the sun was starting to move close to the horizon.

"Gate!" James yelled as large portal opened as the horses pulled the carriage through it, the others looked around and found themselves Leafrett, the first town they started in. The Marine hopped out of the carriage and made his way through an alley to an open field behind the Inn, the Marine ran toward the wooded area and assessed the trees before he took a step back. "Come forth, Water! Feel My Blade, Both Cold and Clear: Aqua Cutter." James said as he made a slicing motion with hand as water blades flew from his hand and sliced through the trees like paper.

Multiple trees fell and hit the ground with a massive thud, he used Gravity on each of the and pulled them back toward the Inn, he deactivated the Null spell as he used Aqua Cutter to make the trees into useable pieces of lumber. "Storage." James called out before the portal formed again and the Marine pulled the crates from the storage portal. He pulled a few blocks of Iron from the crate and tossed it into the pile of lumber, he held his hands up and focused "Modeling!" James yelled before the wood and metal glowed, the materials disappeared before they were replaced by a sizeable wooden garage.

"Yes! Fuck yes!" James exclaimed excitedly as he walked in and looked around. "Concrete." James said before he pulled out his phone and searched 'Earth spells.' A list of incantations popped up on his screen as he flipped through them and walked out into the opening "Rumble forth, Earth! Pulverizing Boulder: Rock Crash." James said before a massive boulder formed in midair and crashed to the ground. "Modeling." James said before the boulder was reduced to multiple stacks of concret plates.

"Levitation." James called out and caused the stacks to float before he pushed them toward the newly formed shed. "Alright, everything is coming together. Modeling." James said as he placed his hands on the concrete, the stacks disappeared before a concrete floor appeared under the wooden shed and anchored itself to the shed.

James moved the crates into the shed and placed them apart from each other before he pulled the lids off "Alright, tools. Modeling." James said as he placed his hand over the materials, the crate glowed as the materials disappeared and replaced by a seven-tier toolbox. The Marine pulled open the drawers and inspected each item "Well, damn. That's good detail." James said as he replaced the wrench.

"Come forth, Light! Tiny Illumination: Light Spheres" James said as he summoned light orbs that hung from the roof and illuminated the new workshop. "Next, the main course." James said as he approached the crate and held his hand over the materials "Modeling." James said before the materials disappeared and was replaced by multiple items, the biggest being a Humvee's frame outfitted with axles, wheels, and all the bells & whistles.

Sgt. Murphy looked to his right and found the other pieces had also formed, the most noticeable being a 6.2-liter V8 engine. "Gravity." James said before he lifted the engine and carried it over to the vehicles motor bay. "Levitation." James called out as he activated yet another null spell and caused the motor to float in the engine bay. James got to work and attached the motor mounts to the engine as well as the other supports.

***Two hours later (a lot of mechanic jargon and needless padding for time) 1700 hours***

After hours of work, James exhaled slowly as he wiped the sweat off his head and backed up to admire his handywork. "Good ol' fashioned American engineering, courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue." James said as he closed the hood and latched it shut. The Marine opened the door and placed a key into the ignition before he turned it, the engine rumbled to life as Murphy revved it slowly.

Touya, Yae, Linze, and Elze ran out to investigate the noise "James, what was… that…" Linze asked as she trailed off as she stared at the vehicle James had built. "But… how?" Touya asked, James chuckled as he held up his phone. "James… You built all this?" Yae asked, Murphy nodded "Yep, I took out a few trees, cut them down to size, and built a workshop." James explained.

"Where did you get fuel?" Touya asked as he looked the Humvee up and down, James chuckled "I didn't, it's called 'Program'. I used it to program each valve to fire a small explosion spell to propel the piston downward and the entire engine is reinforced so nothing will get old or break. I also programmed it so it fires a slightly bigger explosion depending on how far you press the pedal." James explained.

"But…" Touya stuttered, James patted him on the shoulder as he walked past him and climbed into the Humvee before he shifted gears and slowly pulled out of the garage. The sun had set below the horizon and swept the area in darkness as James pulled back on a knob on the control panel. Multiple LED lights clicked on and illuminated the darkness, the blue hue of the lights grabbed the attention of the girls who seemed to fawn over it.

"Oooh, so pretty." Linze said as she admired the lights. James climbed out of the Humvee and walked back to the garage before he reemerged carrying a large gun on his shoulder. The Marine climbed up on the back and mounted the gun that had a long barrel and a large box mag, Murphy lined the large gun up with a pivot joint and placed a large bolt through it to hold it in place. James reached up and pulled back the bolt on the side as he chambered one of the large round from the box mag.

"One Marine Corps issued Humvee with mounted M2 .50 caliber Heavy Machine Gun, fresh off the line and ready for combat." James said as he slapped the side of the Humvee that read 'Marines'. "Anyone wanna go for a ride?" James asked the group; the girls raised their hand before Touya finally swallowed his pride and raised his.

The five adventurers climbed into the Humvee before James shifted gears and hammered the pedal down, the engine roared as the tires dug into the ground and spit dirt out as the Humvee sped through the open field. The girls gripped the sides of the Humvee as the sheer horsepower pushed them back into their seats, James pulled the E-Brake he installed and caused the Humvee to slide into a turn before he drove back to the garage.

He turned the key and cut the engine off after he turned the lights off "Wow, that was… wow." Elze said as she was at a loss for words. James chuckled as he spun the key around his finger before he placed it in his vest. 'Next project: M1a2 Abrams.' James thought to himself as he planned his next vehicle.

The five adventurers entered the Inn as Mika was cooking, a large, burly man stood next to her as he chopped vegetables "Hello stranger, friends of yours?" The man asked as he gestured to Touya and the others, James nodded as he reached out to shake his hand 'Alright, strong grip, power move.' James thought to himself as their hands locked and they seemed to give each other a death grip of a handshake.

"Haha! You got some grip on ya, son." The man said as he slapped James on the back and knocked him to the floor. "The name's Doran." The man said as he helped James off the ground "James Murphy." James said as he shook his head. "Dinners on the house tonight." Mika said as she sat plates of pork roast, carrots, potatoes, green beans, and something that passed for bread down on the table.

Touya, Elze, and Linze ate slowly while James and Yae seemed to devour everything in a flash of hands and cutlery. "Man's got an appetite; I like him already. Mika, he'd make a good husband." Doran said which caused Mika to go red in the face and James to cough on a piece of potato. Doran laughed as he continued to eat his dinner, about an hour later, the group had eaten their fill and moved to their bedrooms to sleep.

James pulled his gear off and sat it on the table before he moved to the bathroom to shower, he emerged minutes later refreshed with clean BDUs and socks. James used a multitude of spells to dry and soften his BDUs before he folded them and placed them on the chair. James climbed into bed and relaxed as slumber swiftly swallowed him up.

***The Next Day 0600 Hours**

James climbed out of bed and busted of thirty push ups before he pulled on his combat gear, the Marine left his room and descended the stairs as quietly as possible, the sound of his gear made it hard as it lightly clanged against his molle vest. James slowly opened the door and slipped out of the Inn before he disappeared into his garage that he built the day prior.

As he walked in, the light orbs slowly grew brighter and illuminated the work area and the two tons of American engineering that made James smile. "It's beautiful." James said to himself as he wiped a fake tear from his cheek. Sgt. Murphy cracked his knuckles before he got to work building his weaponry, the Marine laid out five sheets of steel he had turned stainless the night before and held his hand over them.

"Modeling." James said as he focused on an image in his mind, the metals sheets glowed as the morphed into twenty throwing knives. He moved the knives into two separate rows of ten blades before he held his hand over the first row "Program start: Cast spell Mega Explosion upon impact with hostile target. Cast Mega Explosion when user issues command 'detonate' after blade is thrown. End Program." James said as the blades glowed briefly.

James picked up one of the knives and walked out into the field where he lined himself up with a tree, he drew his arm back and spiked the blade into the bark of a large tree. He took a few steps back and readied himself "Alright…. Detonate!" James yelled before a massive explosion eviscerated the forest and charred the grass. James started to laugh as he clapped slowly "Oh these are gonna be fun." James said as he brushed splinters of wood off his gear.

When James returned to his garage, he found that he had visitors who didn't seem pleased to see him "James, it's seven in the morning…" Touya said half asleep, James looked at the boy and chuckled "In the Marines, we wake up at three in the morning to do physical training." James said as he slipped the new frag knives into his molle vest.

James picked up the other ten blades and placed them in a drawer on his toolbox before he laid out more raw materials, he held his hand over the items before he closed his eyes "Modeling." James recited before the materials changed into the components of a Colt 1911, he picked the barrel up and used Modeling to give the barrel its rifling before he proceeded to assemble the pistol with lightning speed.

"Woah. That was fast." Touya said slightly impressed, James stared at him blankly "Well, it's not like I've been a Marine for six years or anything." James said sarcastically before he slapped the magazine that had fresh .45 ACP AP rounds. James stepped out of the garage and chambered a round before he took aim, he took a deep breath and busted out seven rounds before the slide locked back and smoke rose from the breach.

James released the slide lock and put the safety on as he walked back to the garage, he looked up and noticed Elze, Linze, and Yae were holding their ears "Oh shit, sorry girls. Yeah, these things can be loud. Sorry." James said as he apologized sincerely. "So, what is this? Some kind of carriage?" Yae asked as she looked at the Humvee, James chuckled "It's called a Humvee, we use them to get around battlefields quickly and during convoys, there are usually five guys in here who are dressed like this." James explained as he gestured to his battle attire.

Touya seemed to be annoyed by James's presence and silently left the garage as the girls were entranced by James's words "Wow, that's so cool." Elze said as she leaned against the wheel, the rubber nubbins on the tire brushed against the flesh on her thigh and caused her yelp as the rubber points startled her.

"Ahh, what is that?" Elze asked as she backed up, James chuckled "Their rubber flashes from when the tire is produced, their pointless but I like messing with them when I bored." James said as he ran his hand over them.

Linze looked around perplexed as if she misplaced something "Everything alright, Linze?" James asked concerned, Linze nodded "Yeah, where did Touya go?" She asked as she looked around, James shrugged "No clue, I know that guy dislikes me. When I get my gear set, I'll take off so he doesn't have to be 'like that'." James said as he made gestures with his hands. Elze stepped up and looked at the Marine "What do you mean? You're just gonna leave? Why, we make a great team, don't we?" Elze asked with a hurt look on her face.

"Yeah, it's just… the nation he came from, Japan, and mine went to war years ago and the war ended with my nation dropping two massive spells that annihilated everything in its path, killing roughly 146,000 people. It's… a violent past our nations had, but now our nations are the best of friends, me being in the military, I guess he harbors some sort of distain toward me. That, or he's just intimidated by my presence as everyone seems to be." James said as he explained the end of WWII the best he could.

"You had nothing to do with that, you can't be held responsible for something you weren't around for." Linze said as she approached the Marine. "I know that, it's just… it might be better for everyone if I left." James said as he lowered his head slightly.

"James, are you alright?" Linze asked as she placed her hand on his shoulder, he nodded as he slowly looked up "Yeah, just some memories came flooding back like why I joined the Marines in the first place. It was to get away from my family, I hated them and I wanted out, so I joined the Marines and left those assholes behind." James said as he exhaled slowly.

"What do you mean?" Yae asked as she knelt in the traditional Japanese style on the cold concrete, James sighed as he pulled up a stool and sat down "So, everything went to shit when I turned seventeen." James said as he began to tell the story.

***7 Years ago, in Florida***

The sound of Cicadas filled the air as the Florida heat baked the concrete, a young man walked home from school with a black eye and a bloody lip "Hey James, wait up." A male voice called as a man who looked about sixteen ran and caught up with James. "Oh, hey Casey." James said as he looked forward, Casey got a good look at James before he stopped him "James. Did… Did your dad hit you again?" Casey asked concerned, James shook free from his grip and kept walking.

"I don't wanna talk about it." James said bitterly as he kept his pace, Casey shook his head "No, you have to tell someone. He can't do this! James, I've been to your house and frankly, you deserve better." Casey said as he talked to the teen, James shook his head "No, I don't. I just wanna graduate and leave this shithole town." James said as he kept walking.

"You're just gonna leave and do what?" Casey asked, James held up a brochure that read 'Marines: The few, The proud.' James folded the brochure and placed it in his pocket as he walked up his sidewalk to a beaten up trailer that had discolored metal paneling, he grabbed the handle and took a deep breath before he stepped through the threshold. The strong odor of cigarette smoke lingered through the air as the smoke floated out of the trailer and into the humid Florida air.

"Is that the failed abortion?" A gruff voiced called out from within the mobile home, James sighed and walked in before he closed the door behind him. "Yes, I'm home." James said as pulled his shoes off. "Good, get me another beer. It's the only thing you're good at, aside from making your mom walk out on you." James's father said as James walked into the kitchen and grabbed a can of beer from the fridge and brought it to the man in the recliner.

"You need to learn to duck." James father said with a chuckle as he cracked it open and tipped the can back. James pulled out his phone as he stepped out of the trailer and called Casey "Hey bro… you mind if I live with you for a while?" James asked, Casey chuckled "I thought you'd never ask, you're always welcome here." Casey said before they both hung up.

James walked back inside and was met with the sight of a fat man glaring at him "So, you're thinking of moving out? What will I do without my little slave?" James's father asked before he decked him in the face and knocked him to the ground. "YOU'RE WORTHLESS, YOU'LL ALWAYS BE WORTHLESS!" James's father said as he kicked the teen on the ground.

The world around James seemed to slip away as his father yelled at him angrily, the world seemed to snap back to reality as the sound of a shotgun slide being racked echoed through the house. "Step back, you sorry excuse of a father." A kind male voice said from behind James.

"Keith, why the fuck are you in my house?" James's father asked, Keith remained silent as he continued to aim his shotgun at the abusive father. "James, can you stand?" Keith asked as James slowly stood up. "Yeah, something I'm used to." James said weakly as he wiped blood from his mouth.

"Darryl, you are the single biggest waste of human flesh I've ever seen, right there next to Casey Anthony. Now, you're gonna park your diabetes ass right there while James goes and gathers his things." Keith said as he nudged James, James nodded and dashed up the stairs to his room but found it vacant. "If you want your shit, you can fish it out of the burn pile." Darryl said as he laughed.

James sighed as he pried up a floorboard and fished a bag from within the floor, he opened the bag and found his important information like his social security card, birth certificate, medical records, and about eight hundred in cash that James had hid from his father. He grabbed what clothes he had left and placed them in a bag before he left the barren room behind him. He moved down the stairs and walked out the door past Keith, Keith slowly backed out of the house while he maintained sights on the round man.

"You come anywhere near him and I will not call the cops, I'll call the coroner." Keith said as he slammed the door shut, James climbed into Keith's lifted F-350 where Casey sat in the backseat. "Thank you, Mr. Richardson, but how did you get here so fast?" James asked, Keith chuckled as he reversed out of the driveway and drove down the dirt road toward a large ranch in the distance, leaving the doublewide trailer in the distance.

"Well, when Casey got home and told me about what happened, I had enough and grabbed my Mossberg, hopped in the truck and hauled ass here." Keith said as they pulled up to a nice large house that had a large field of cows and field hands tending to them. "Thank you for taking me in, I won't stay long, at least until I turn eighteen." James said as he climbed out of the truck. Keith shook his head "Nonsense son, you've stood up for my boy all through school and helped me out without me asking, you can stay as long as you want." Keith said as they entered a large main room.

Welcome home, Honey. My word, James… Did Darryl…?" Keith's wife asked, Keith nodded "Yeah, he'll be staying with us." Keith said as James seemed to start wobbling in place. "James, are you alright?" Keith's wife asked before James collapsed to the ground.

James awoke on the guest bed thirty minutes later, his wounds had been doctored and wrapped, he slowly sat up and looked around, Keith walked in and swiftly rushed to James's side "Vanessa, he's up." Keith called out, moments later Keith's wife walked in with a bag.

"Hey sweetie, how're you feeling?" She asked as she pulled out a stethoscope, she placed it to his chest and listened to closely as she moved it around "Well, no damage to the lungs." Vanessa said as she started to apply pressure against his body. "Ow." James said as she pressed his side, she shook her head as she looked at the teen. "You need an x-ray, but luckily for you, Keith has an X-ray machine for the cattle." Vanessa said with a wink.

'Thank god for these folk.' James thought to himself as Keith helped him off the bed.

***Current day***

"So, a year later I joined the Marines after I graduated High School, Mr. and Mrs. Richardson were so proud of me." James said as he wrapped up the story, Linze and Elze wiped tears from their eyes and sniffled slightly "That's so sad, I'm sorry you had to go through that." Linze said as she stood up and hugged the Marine.

"Please don't leave, you had a terrible father, but you're nothing like him." Elze said as she wrapped her arms around the man. James chuckled a little bit "Fine, I'll stay." James said as he gave into them. "Yay." Linze said happily as she let go of James. 'Maybe this life won't be so bad, at least Darryl's not here.' James thought to himself as he mentally cursed his father.

James stood up and stretched slowly as Touya rounded the corner "Oh, there you girls are. James." Touya said as he greeted the Marine. "Tofu." James said with a smirk. "James told us about America and Japan's war, if you still hold a grudge, you need to let it go, neither of you were around for it." Linze said to Touya who seemed stunned.

"You told them?" Touya asked, James nodded "Just the part about the end. I wanna know why you hate me." James said as he crossed his arms. Touya blushed a little bit "I don't hate you, I'm just… a little jealous, you're so cool and strong, even before coming here." Touya said as he confessed the truth. James chuckled "Kid, you're what? Sixteen? When I was that age, I could barely lift one hundred pounds, but with a lot of hard work and determination, I became this hunky two-hundred-pound piece of USDA Prime choice sirloin beef." James said before he flexed the muscles in his arms.

"I got like this because I was in combat, so we have to be strong and fast, that's why we're the best of the best. But you don't need muscles to be cool, just be a decent human being." James said before he patted Touya on the head since the teen was much shorter than him. Touya looked around at all the stuff in the shop and mouthed 'wow' in amazement "You made all this with null spells?" Touya asked, James chuckled "And good old-fashioned American muscle." James said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Hey quick, use recovery on me. Don't ask why, just do it." James said as he stepped closer to the teen, Touya shrugged before he placed his hand on James's chest "Recovery." Touya said before James's body started to glow a faint white color. James rolled his arm as the light faded "Ahh, that's so much better. I dislocated it back when I was stationed in Basrah, Iraq. Since then, it always gave me a fucking problem." James said as he jabbed in the air.

Hours had passed since James gave them an explosive wake up call, the members of the group were occupied with their own endeavors: James was building weapons, Touya was inside the Inn studying the magic book like James did, Linze was in her room while Elze and Yae went out shopping.

"Voila! An M240B! Hahaha!" James yelled as he ran outside and unloaded one hundred rounds into a tree as rain fell from the sky, the constant gunfire clap echoed throughout the land as brass casings flew from the ejection port while the sound system that he had built blared Godsmack. "Feels like I'm back with the boys." James said as he rested the smoking LMG on his shoulder as the rain pelted him. Touya came out of the building with his hands over his ears as the metal music blared out "James, what the hell are you doing?!" Touya yelled as he moved into the garage, James's smile changed to an annoyed smirk "Building an arsenal." James said as he extended the LMG's bipod and rested it on the table.

James disconnected the box mag and tossed it onto the table before he attached a fresh one to the gun and fed the chain into the receiver. "So, what did ya want, kid?" James asked as he leaned against the table. "Oh, Yae and Elze just got back from shopping and brought roll cake, I… I was wondering if you'd like to go with me to deliver it to the Duke." Touya asked which surprised the Marine. "Really, well, I guess it's better than building whatever my mind can think up. Shit, I might accidentally build a nuke." James said with a chuckle.

"Alright, so we'll use gate and…" Touya started to say but James cut him off "And we'll get there in this bad bitch." James said as he slapped the side of the Humvee. "I think we should leave it." Touya said before he opened a gate and stepped through. James stepped out and closed the door behind him, he wrapped a chain around the handles and locked it with a pad lock before he followed Touya into the gate.

"Oh Touya, James. What a pleasant surprise, what brings you to the capital?" The duke asked, Touya pulled out a box and placed it on the table before he flipped the lid open. The Duke, Elen, and Suushie admired the beautifully crafted dessert while James seemed to be in his own world and stared out the window into the gloomy grey sky.

'You'll always be worthless! I wish you were never born.' The voice of his father echoed through his mind as the memory played out like a movie, James on the floor as his father kicked and punched him, James shook his head as he mentally spat on the floor 'Fuck you, Darryl. Keith was a better father than you.' James thought to himself as he came to terms with the memories.

The group enjoyed the cake and chatted lightly until the Duke placed his plate down when Touya put a Shogi board on the table. "Oh Christ, this is gonna something." James sighed as he watched Touya and the Duke play against one another. Suushie sat next to James, eagerly waiting her turn.

***Four hours later***

James woke up suddenly and reached for the revolver on his side but stopped when his eyes adjusted, he looked over at Touya who was still playing against the Duke, Suushie had fallen asleep with her head on his left thigh. He slowly lifted her head with one hand and moved his leg from underneath her head and stood up slowly "Alright diptard, I'm leaving. See ya back at the Inn. Gate." James said as a portal opened in front of him and walked through into his workshop, he exhaled slowly before he tried to push open the doors but it wouldn't budge.

"Oh right, the chain. Gate." James said before he stepped through the portal and out the other side of the locked door, he stuck the key into the lock and turned the key before he let the lock and chain fall to the ground. As he walked into the Inn, Yae ran up with a flyer requesting a monster extermination "Wait, where's Touya?" She asked confused as a gate portal opened and Touya stumbled through and quickly closed it behind him as he panted heavily. "You think Shogi's bad, introduce him to monopoly, that shit ends friendships." James said with a chuckle. Yae handed Touya the flyer and let him read over it "A Dullahan. Alright, let's do it." Touya said which seemed to fire James up because he sprinted out of the front door.

A few minutes later, the sound of a V8 engine roared through the silent town as James slammed the Hummer to a stop "Get in! I've been itching for combat!" James yelled as he revved the engine up, Elze ran and jumped into the passenger seat next to James. Linze ran out and got into the back seat before Yae and Touya joined them, James shifted it into gear and slammed the pedal to the floor before the Humvee took off down brick road.

As they drove, James flicked on the radio and turned the volume up which startled the girls "Ahh, what is that?!" They asked confused, James chuckled "It's called heavy metal, it's our battle music in the Marines." James said as he turned a corner and hammered down on the gear. James banged his head along with the beat as he drove the Humvee and swerved in between trees with narrow gaps.

**Ready For This – All Good Things**

**Living breathing for a single moment**

**We've left everything we had behind**

**Time to roll brothers out and over**

**Nothing to lose nothing but time**

**Are you sure you wanna take this road now?**

**Are you certain that you're gonna win?**

**Did they tell you that it could be over?**

**Over and done before you begin**

The Humvee flew through the brush and into an open field, the silhouette of ruins came into view as the Humvee screamed across the grasslands "Alright, we're getting close." James said as he ripped the handbrake and caused the Humvee to drift through the grassland.

**Everything you know will not prepare you**

**Nothing's gonna change if you resist**

**Everything you got bring it on we dare you**

**Nothing will compare to this.**

**It's an avalanche**

**(are you ready for this?)**

**It's critical Critical mass**

**(are you ready for this?)**

**It's a massive attack**

**(are you ready for this?)**

**It will kick your ass**

**(You're not ready for this)**

"So, this is how Marines prepare for battle?!" Elze asked loudly, James laughed "Oh this is nothing. We shotgun Red Bulls and hype ourselves up, it's a nicotine and caffeine addiction fueled nightmare to all who cross us." James said as he ripped the handbrake again and slid the Humvee to a stop outside of the ruins.

The doors opened as Linze, Yae, Elze, and Touya stepped out of the Humvee while James climbed through the back and popped out of the roof behind the M2, he grabbed the charging handle and pulled it back as it loaded a .50 BMG round into the receiver. Elze looked up at James and noticed two patches on his arm: One consisting of a multi-tentacled beast and the other that resembled a three-headed dog.

"James, what are those symbols on your arm?" Elze asked confused, James chuckled "Well three headed dog is Cerberus, hound of hell and Marines are called 'Devil Dogs' and the other is a Kraken, that is, er… was my codename." James explained as he glared at the ruins. Suddenly, a large armored beast emerged from the ruins and roared despite not having a head. James narrowed his eyes as he pressed a button on the armor paneling next to him.

The sound of snare drums echoed from the Humvee as a song started to play

**Hard Corps – The Warrior Song**

**The Eagle born to those who pledged their lives and sacred honor**

**was smiled upon by God and freed from chains and iron collar.**

**He is held aloft on unity and by History revered, **

**for preserving peace through strength his wings now reach across two hundred years**

**but for each of those, and one year more, God has smiled upon The Corps,**

**from the Barbary Coast to the Eastern Sand, by sword, by gun, or by bare hand.**

**So it's been, and shall be weighed: though many are born, few are "made".**

**Faithful Always, they shall remain… dogs to loose when war is waged.**

James seemed to be mouthing the words as he stared down the headless beast as the sound of electric guitar filled the noiseless meadow, the Dullahan roared again before it charged toward them, its feet hit the ground with a thunderous boom. James gritted his teeth as he squeezed the trigger and caused the bullets to erupt from the mounted gun.

**I am a Marine on the beach, I'm a killin' machine, with a need to bleed you when the light goes green, best believe, I'm in a zone to be, from my Yin to my Yang to my Yang Tze.**

**Put a grin on my chin when you come to me, 'cuz I'll win, I'm one-of-a-kind and I'll bring death to the place you're about to be: another river of blood runnin' under my feet**

**Forged in a fire lit long ago, stand next to me, you'll never stand alone, I'm last to leave, but the first to go, Hard Corps is the only way I know. I feed on the fear of the devil inside of the enemy faces in my sight. Aim with the hand, shoot with the mind, kill with a heart like arctic ice.**

The M2's report thundered as the rounds ripped into the armor of the Dullahan but continued to charge forward so James focused fire on the legs and shredded the metal armor.

**I am a Devil-Dog I'm marching on, I am a warrior and this is my song**

James released the trigger and pulled back the charging handle to eject a jammed casing, Elze ran forward and slammed her gauntlet into the Dullahan which sent the armored beast into a stone pillar.

**I bask in the glow of the rising war, lay waste to the ground of an enemy shore, wade through the blood spilled on the floor, and if another one stands I'll kill some more, bullet in the breach and a fire in me like a cigarette thrown to gasoline, if death don't bring you fear then death ain't brought by no Marine. **

**Come to the nightmare, come to me, deep down in the dark where the devil be, in the maw with the jaws and the razor teeth, where the brimstone burns and the angel weeps, call to the gods if I cross your path and my silhouette hangs like a body bag, hope is a moment now long past, the shadow of death is the one I cast.**

James climbed out of the turret and leaped to the ground, he dashed forward and pulled one of his explosive knives from his vest and threw it at the Dullahan. The knife pierced the armor of the beast and exploded in a massive ball of fire and a shockwave that brought the stone pillar down on to it.

The Dullahan erupted from the debris and swung its sword angrily, "Guys! We got horned wolves!" Linze called out, James sprinted back to the Humvee and climbed back into the turret, he turned the turret and opened fire, the .50 cal rounds ripped through the wolves like they were butter and reduced them to heaps of blood, fur, bone, and meat. "Shining Javelin!" Touya called out before a Javelin of pure light formed and pierced the arm of the Dullahan.

James leaped from the Humvee once again and pulled another throwing knife out, he drew his arm back and threw the blade, the knife screamed through the air before it hit the Dullahan again and erupted in a massive explosion that engulfed the metal beast. The Dullahan's metallic body shook as it struggled to stand, James walked up to the headless knight as it struggled to lift its sword.

He pulled a hand grenade from his vest and ripped the pin while he held the spoon down before he dropped it down the hole where the Dullahan's head should have been. James turned and walked away before the Headless knight exploded and sent debris flying every which way.

**Now, I live lean and I mean to inflict the grief, and the least of me is still out of your reach, the killing machine's gonna do the deed, until the river runs dry and my last breath leaves. Chin in the air with a head held high, I'll stand in the path of the enemy line, feel no fear, know my pride: for God and Country I'll end your life.**

**I am a Devil-Dog I'm marching on; I am a warrior and this is my song!**

**Hell has no demon I won't overcome; I am a warrior and this is my song!**

**I made the devil himself turn and run, I am a warrior and this is my song!**

**Into the fire I will keep marchin' on, OORAH, Marine Corps, get some!**

James cracked his knuckles as the metal song ended "Oh, it feels good to be back in the action." James said as he pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it with a piece of burning Dullahan, he took a drag before he tossed it onto the burning corpse of the Dullahan and exhaled slowly.

James looked around the desolate field and slowly closed his eyes before he spoke "Search: Iron." James said, he was motionless for a moment before his head jerked to the left and he glared at a distant mountain. "Found you." James said as he marked the location on his phone. "Boost." James called out before he took off in a blur of motion, he returned a few minutes later with a massive boulder of Iron ore floating behind him.

The Marine placed his hand on the boulder and deactivated the null spell and caused it to drop to the ground with a massive thud. "Modeling." James said as he placed his hand on the boulder, the rock glowed before it was reduced to a stack of Iron ore bricks. The group watched as James loaded the Iron into the back of the Humvee and closed the hatch afterward, he turned around and found everyone conversing near some rubble before an explosion caused the rubble to be reduced to nothing but pebbles.

"What the fuck was that?" James asked as he rejoined the group, Elze and Touya slowly lifted a large concrete trap door and revealed a spiral staircase. "Ooh, interesting. I'll take point." James said as he clicked on a flashlight that was on the strap of his molle vest before he descended the stairs rapidly. Linze, Elze, Yae, and Touya slowly walked down the stairs while James ran off on an adventure, the four adventurers finally made it to the bottom of the stairs while James aimed his rifle all around as he swept the area.

"Clear!" James called out as he took a knee near a fallen pillar, the group approached a large stone wall that seemed to have strange writing on it. "Linze, can you read it?" Touya asked but Linze shook her head. "I know what it says. It says, 'Oh please destroy me James.' Or at least that's what it looks like." James said as he tossed as hand grenade up and down in his right hand. "Hey, there's a magic stone here. It's earth magic." Linze explained. "Touya, do it." James said as he scanned the area behind them.

"What?! Why me?" Touya asked, James turned and glared at him "Who has the rifle?" James asked sarcastically, Touya rolled his eyes before he placed his hand on the stone. Seconds later, the wall of glyphs started to glow as the area shook violently, a section of the stone wall was reduced to sand and revealed a tunnel.

James turned around and immediately dropped to the ground with his rifle pointed down the tunnel "Touya, whatever you do, don't approach whatever is down there." James said as he adjusted his sights. The group looked at the marksman before they entered the tunnel, James sighed as he flicked the safety off and chambered a fresh round. He slowly clicked the mills higher as he zoomed in on the dark tunnel, as his eyes focused; a large light erupted from the tunnel as the area shook violently.

"Touya!? Linze? Elze?! Yae!?" James called out but got no responses, the area started to shake violently as rocks fell from the roof. The Marine gritted his teeth as he stood up and sprinted down the tunnel, he came to a dead end but found it deserted. "Fuck!" James yelled as he turned around and sprinted out the tunnel, he started to ascend the stairs when half of them broke off and created a gap between the Marine and safety.

James placed his rifle on his back as he backed up and got a running start before he leaped across, he grabbed onto the ledge and slowly pulled himself up as the other half collapsed. Sgt. Murphy sprinted up the stairs and pushed through the debris as the dungeon collapsed behind him, James pushed himself up off the ground and found the group fighting a glass beast.

"Aports!" Touya yelled before a large red orb appeared in his hand. "Elze!" Touya yelled as he threw the orb through the air, James withdrew his revolver and quickly shot the orb, the .357 Magnum round hit the orb and shattered it on contact. The sudden destruction caused the beast to turn to a blue sand.

"What the fuck was that?!" James yelled as he holstered his revolver. "Oh James, when did you get here?" Yae asked, James sighed angrily "Oh, well, I actually just got here because I was searching for your four when the cave started to collapses but I guess Touya stargate jumped y'all out and didn't bother letting me know." James said before he stormed off toward the Humvee. "Y'all find your way back." James said before he climbed into the Humvee, he started the engine and tore off into the grasslands, he looked into the mirror and watched the four individuals get smaller as he drove faster.

'The Marines had each other's backs, here… I guess I'm alone.' James thought to himself as he turned on the radio and plugged his phone into it.

**Hell To Pay – Five Finger Death Punch**

**Feels like I'm running in place**

**A past I can't erase**

**I'm breaking, breaking apart**

**(I know they're after me)**

**It's like I'm fading each day**

**They took it all away**

**Left nothing, nothing but scars**

**(They make it hard to breathe)**

James banged his head as he tried to rid himself of the anger he felt in his body.

**Don't know where it went wrong**

**But my love for this is gone**

James yelled out loud as he pressed the pedal down further and drove off a hill, the Humvee flew through the air before his slammed into the ground and kept going, the Iron in the rear slammed around as the chassis moaned in agony.

**I tried to numb the pain**

**But I can't get away**

**Hiding behind this disguise**

**The games I had to play**

**The hell I had to pay**

**Everything comes with a price**

"Search: Bandits!" James yelled out; a white light flashed before seventeen figures popped up in a tree line to the North-West of his position. James jerked the wheel and turned the Humvee toward his intended targets.

**You're waiting for me to fail**

**That ship will never sail**

**Keep pulling and pushing me down**

**(But I just won't let go)**

**I know you wish I was dead**

**I'm stuck inside your head**

**I'm taking and breaking your crown**

**(I'm better left alone)**

The Humvee pulled up outside of a rundown shack that hand some armed thugs outside of it, James popped out of the roof and opened fire, the .50 cal rounds ripped through the thugs like they were paper, the upper half of one was shredded into a mangled mess of mashed organs, bone, and blood. The wooden structure was shredded and collapsed due to a lack of structural integrity, James pulled a grenade from his vest, ripped the pin, and threw it into the rubble.

**Don't know where it went wrong**

**But my love for this is gone**

The grenade exploded and painted a thug onto the grass as others pulled themselves from the wreckage only to be ripped apart by the M2. James pulled a knife from his vest and threw it into the body of one of the thugs before he drove off. James looked into the rearview mirror and watched a mushroom cloud of smoke and fire rise into the sky as it eviscerated the area.

**I tried to numb the pain**

**But I can't get away**

**Hiding behind this disguise**

**The games I had to play**

**The hell I had to pay**

**Everything comes with a price**

"Search: Hostages." James yelled out as he drove back across the plain. The white light flashed again before it illuminated three individuals in an abandoned castle in the distance.

**I tried to numb the pain**

**But I can't get away**

**Hiding behind this disguise**

**The games I had to play**

**The hell I had to pay**

**Everything comes with a price**

As the song ended, James flipped through his phone until he found the perfect song for a hostage rescue, he unhooked his phone from the radio. "Speaker." James said out loud as a glyph formed around his phone and above the Humvee.

**America, Fuck Yeah! – DVDA**

**America**

**America**

James turned the steering wheel toward his next destination as the song started up.

**America FUCK YEAH!**

**Comin' again to save the motherfuckin' day, yeah**

**America (FUCK YEAH!)**

**Freedom is the only way, yeah**

**Terrorist your game is through**

**'Cause now you have to answer to**

**America (FUCK YEAH!)**

**So lick my butt and suck on my balls**

**America (FUCK YEAH!)**

**What you gonna do when we come for you now?**

As James rapidly approached the castle, he gripped the steering wheel and gritted his teeth before he crashed the Humvee through the side of the castle.

**It's the dream that we all share**

**It's the hope for tomorrow**

**(FUCK YEAH!)**

**McDonald's (FUCK YEAH!)**

**Walmart (FUCK YEAH!)**

**The Gap (FUCK YEAH!)**

**Baseball (FUCK YEAH!)**

**NFL (FUCK YEAH!)**

**Rock & Roll (FUCK YEAH!)**

**The Internet (FUCK YEAH!)**

**Slavery (FUCK YEAH!)**

Multiple bandits turned around and were caught off guard by the sudden intrusion, James pushed the door open and opened fire, the rounds ripped through the bandit's leather armor. "Wh-what the hell are you?!" One of the bandits yelled as the sword shook in his hands while he pissed himself. "Your worst nightmare." James said before he put a round through the man's head and painted his brain on the concrete floor.

**(FUCK YEAH!)**

James walked over to an old table and flipped it, he looked down and found a bandit cowering in fear "Where are the hostages?" James asked as he pointed his rifle at the man. "Oh fuck! They're in the basement." The man said, James grabbed him and pushed him "Good, you're gonna take me there." James said before he shot one of the stragglers. The man scrambled to his feet and guided the Marine to the basement that was well lit.

"There, they're in there." The man said as he pushed the door open. "Good." James said before he shot the man in the head and entered the basement, two large men tried to ambush him but he thrusted his blade into one man's jugular and shot the other in the face. James emptied the spent shells from his revolver before he loaded six fresh rounds into the gun, he looked around and found three women chained to a wall in the corner. As he approached them, they seemed to flinch in fear "Hey hey, it's alright. I'm not gonna hurt you, are you injured? Can you walk?" He asked them as he knelt next to them.

"My leg, I think it's broke." A blonde-haired demi-human said as she gestured to her left leg that was swollen and discolored. James placed his hand over her leg as he closed his eyes "Come forth, Light! Calm of the Goddess: Mega Heal." He said before her leg started to glow, the bruising and discoloration disappeared as her leg returned to normal.

He raised his hand over the three women again "Come forth light, the breath bringing health: Refresh." He chanted before their bodies started to glow a vibrant light color as they were filled with a renewed energy. He fished a keyring from the faceless body and unlocked their shackles, he stood up and helped the women to their feet "Good, let's get your girls home." James said before he looked them over again and noticed they were all demi-humans.

"My name is James." The Marine said as he led them out of the dungeon. "Ayumi." The blonde girl said as a pair of fox ears stood up from her blonde hair. The girl next to her had shoulder length black hair and a pair of cat ears accompanied by a tail that swished around behind her. "Naomi." The cat-girl said politely, the third girl seemed a bit shy as she hid her mouth with her sleeve.

"Umm… I'm Shelyn." The third girl said nervously as James led them to the Humvee. "What is this metal beast?" Ayumi asked confused. James paused for a moment "Uh, I'll explain on the way." James said as he started up the Humvee.

**A/N: Wow, sorry to leave y'all hanging for so long. Life's fucking crazy, I graduated and I'm about to get my Class D license. Anyway, remember to Favorite, Follow, and Review, and as always, this is Nightmare 6-4, signing off.**


	3. Chapter 3: A Better Friend, Worse Enemy

Ch. 3 - No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy.

**In Another World with My Smartphone is owned by AT-X, Tokyo MX, and BS11, I only own the OCs. Oorah!**

The Humvee screamed across the open field as James finished up explaining everything "So, I took off on my own and went off in a rage until I found you three." James explained as the Humvee drove over a hill and slammed into a field of tall grass.

"So, you're an elite soldier? That's awesome." Ayumi said as she gazed at the scenery that moved past them in a blur of color. Naomi gripped the seat in front of her to steady herself while Shelyn clung to her left arm with her eyes clinched shut, James looked back and saw Shelyn's frightened complexion which caused him to ease off the pedal.

"Sorry ladies, I didn't mean to scare y'all… I'm just still a little angry. But, enough of my issues; let's get you back to your families, they must be worried sick." James said as he pushed the pedal down a little, Ayumi looked down at the dash for moment before she turned to James "Actually, we don't have a home… We were slaves from Sandora and were sold to a man who was passing through, he came to Belfast and was murdered by bandits who abducted us… that was about a month ago. But you saved us so we belong to you." Ayumi said with a weak smile.

James popped the gear into neutral and ripped the e-brake which caused the Humvee to drift to a stop, Ayumi seemed startled and visibly trembled "I do not own you… nobody owns you. You're your own person, you're a free person and are free to do whatever you want. Please do not label yourself as a mere item, you are more than that… you're a beautiful woman who has so much potential, the same goes for you two." James said before he looked back at Naomi and Shelyn.

The girls seemed stunned by his words "You mean… we're not property?" Shelyn asked meekly, James nodded "You're free to do whatever you wish." James said as he shifted the Humvee back into gear, the three girls looked at each other before they nodded in agreement to some silent proclamation.

"Then we wish to stay by your side, whether it be as your companions or your lovers." Ayumi said before the others nodded in agreement, James's grip on the wheel tightened as he drove toward an unknown location. He exhaled slowly as he gathered his thoughts "Are you ladies sure about this… I'm not the most peaceful person." James said solemnly as the images of combat flashed through his mind, he closed his eyes and shook his head before the images disappeared.

"We were kidnapped and sold into slavery, we're demi-humans and had a rough beginning, we don't really know the definition of peace… but maybe we can learn the definition together." Naomi said as she placed her hand on his shoulder, James smiled slightly as he loosened his grip on the wheel.

"Alright, but I'm gonna train you three to be able to defend yourselves." James said as he turned the wheel toward a large open clearing. "Search: Abandoned castles." James said before a large blip popped up on his mental radar, he jerked the wheel and drove toward a large object in the distance. Within minutes, the Humvee pulled up outside of a massive castle that sat silent, the metal gates had long rusted away and the occupants were long gone "Ladies, welcome to your new home. Let's get to work." James said as he slowly drove into what was once a courtyard.

Sgt. Murphy pulled the Humvee in and turned it around so it was facing the exit, he cut the engine off and hopped out of the armored transport "Alright ladies, can you wait here for a moment." James said before he moved to the middle of the courtyard. "Gate." James said before he walked through the portal. He stepped out on the other side and was face to face with his workshop, he placed his hand on the floor and the concrete before he closed his eyes "Storage." James said before a light seemed to swallow the workshop up and removed it from existence, he opened his eyes and found a dirt patch where the workshop once was. He opened a gate and walked through to the abandoned courtyard; he found a nice spot in the courtyard before he removed the workshop from storage.

The workshop materialized as the concrete buried itself into the ground, he opened the doors and found everything in order, down to the smallest bolt. He ran back to the Humvee and restarted the engine before he drove forward and slowly backed into workshop, he cut the engine off and stepped out of the Humvee before the girls followed suit.

James pulled out raw materials from one of the crates and laid them on the table "Modeling." James said before he turned the materials into three steel short swords with leather grip wrapping, he moved to the next pile of materials and used modeling to create a steel compound bow with a 50lbs draw weight and a quiver of steel arrows with fixed broadhead tips that had serrated edges. "Alright ladies, pick your weapons of choice." James said as he presented the arsenal to the ladies. Naomi stepped forward and picked up two short swords before she examined them, Ayumi grabbed the bow and placed the quiver over her body, Shelyn grabbed the last sword and held it closely to her body.

"Shelyn, you don't have to hide your teeth. He won't judge you." Naomi said as she reassured the shy girl, Shelyn nodded slowly before her posture changed completely. Shelyn smiled and revealed a pair of wolf fangs that were slightly longer than human canines "You were nervous about that? I have them too, not as big but I got them." James said as he ran his tongue over his canines in his mouth.

"So, are you three sisters?" James asked as he grabbed his 1911 from one of the drawers of the toolbox. The girls looked at each other before they looked at the Marine as he laid out more raw materials on table, he held both hands over the table before he closed his eyes "Modeling." James chanted before the materials started to glow and took the form of an FN Scar-H MK 17 chambered in 7.62 x 51mm, James used modeling on the rifle a few more times to fix the rifling in the barrel, add slide rails, and made the muzzle threaded.

He used modeling a piece of steel and created a suppressor that he screwed onto his new battle rifle before he slid an ERGO foregrip to the bottom rail followed by an ACOG scope onto the top rail, he laid out some more metal and gunpowder before he modeled them into 7.62 x 51mm rounds, he quickly loaded them into four 50 round drum mags he had created with some polymer and metal. His hands moved like lightning as he assembled and prepped his weapons, he laid out a small amount of metal and crystal along with a small amount copper before he modeled them into a flashlight attachment for his new rifle, he slid the attachment onto the right side of the rifle and locked it into place.

He slid one of the mags into the receiver before he pulled back the charging bolt on the side as he chambered a round into the rifle, he flipped the safety off to semi and full auto before back to safe. He looked at the three girls and noticed they were wearing tattered rags of what resembled clothing, he quickly grabbed some cloth and leather from one of the crates before he modeled them into clothes for them to replace the tattered ones that seemed soiled and some leather armor that included chest plates and wrist guards.

As he helped them fasten the armor on, he used modeling again to accommodate for their busts, the leather moved and molded around their chests especially Ayumi's buxom breasts. He grabbed some cloth and rubber before he modeled them into shoes for the girls, he slipped them on their feet and modeled them again so they would fit before he taught them out to tie them… and what they were. The girls were elated by the new accommodations they were bestowed that Shelyn started to tear up before Naomi comforted her.

James moved outside and looked up at the sky as the sun was starting to set "Alright girls, the sun is starting to set so we gotta get going." James said as he changed the rate of fire to semi-auto and started to make his way to the door of the abandoned castle, James changed from a brisk walk to a full sprint before he threw his shoulder into the door and busted it off the wall. The stagnant stench of mildew and decay wafted through the air as the Marine was met with darkness. He pulled down his optics which painted the area in a green hue and allowed him to see clearly.

He stood up slowly as he raised his rifle and swept the area, the three girls moved slowly two feet behind him as he slowly walked into the derelict castle. James pushed up next to a wall and peaked around the corner into a large room; he slowly stepped into the foyer and pushed the buttstock of the rifle into his shoulder as he cleared the room. As he took a step, the sound of something snapping echoed through the empty room, James looked down at the ground and found he had stepped on a femur.

The Marine turned his optics off and turned the tactical flashlight on before he scanned the floor and illuminated skeletal remains that scattered the area. "I wonder what happened?" James asked as he knelt next to one of the skeletons and examined the bones. He was about to pick one up when a loud hiss echoed through the room, he shot up off the ground and aimed his rifle in the direction of the noise.

Multiple sentient skeletons walked out of a hall with weapons in hand, James raised his rifle before he squeezed the trigger. The round hit the lead skeleton in the head and caused the skull to explode before the bones fell apart, he quickly dispatched the skeletal warriors one after another before he moved down the hall they came from.

As he moved down the hall, the smell of decay seemed to get stronger as they entered a grand hall, the long deceased guests were still at the tables, their skeletal remains were barely held together as a skull dropped from the neck of one of the deceased and made a hollow noise as it bounced off the brick floor. "What happened here?" Ayumi asked as she looked around the area. "Search: Enemies." James said as he closed his eyes momentarily.

"There are approximately seven enemy combatants in here." James said before he placed his rifle on the ground and dropped to his knees, he clapped his hands together before he placed them on the brick floor "Come forth darkness, I seek a shining warmaiden: Valkyrie!" James chanted before a pool of darkness formed on the floor. A tall armor-clad woman rose from the dark pool with a sword and shield in hand.

"I will call you Herja. I want you to clear this castle of the enemies." James said as he stood up, the Valkyrie slammed her fist into her chest plate before she ran off on her extermination mission. The sound of metal on metal echoed followed by the hisses of skeletal warriors being reduced to bones, suddenly the Valkyrie was blasted back into the wall by an unknown force.

James ran up and slid to her side as the Valkyrie struggled to stand "No, stay down. Recover your strength." James said before he stood up and raised his rifle toward the source of sudden magic energy. A large shrouded skeletal creature walked through the doorway with a staff in its boney hand "Who has disturbed my slumber?" The creature hissed.

"New occupants." James said before he unloaded on the creature, the rounds ripped through the creature's body and impacted the brick wall. "What the hell is that?!" James asked as he backed up.

"It's a Lich!" Naomi yelled as she readied her swords. "Did you kill these people?" James asked as he stared down the undead wizard, the Lich cackled wickedly "They were so tender… they never saw it coming." The Lich said with a hiss. "They're weak to light magic." Shelyn said as she hid behind Naomi.

James smirked as he placed his rifle on the table next to a skull and cracked his knuckles "Perfect. Come forth, light, Shining Exile: Banish!" James chanted as he closed the gap with the Lich and placed his hand on the undead's chest. A beam of light flashed from his hand and caused the Lich to hiss in agony as the light vaporized its body, a pile of robes and dust fell to the floor as the evil aura dissipated. He looked back at the Valkyrie and noticed the light had banished her as well.

"What was a Lich doing in here?" Naomi asked as she looked at the robes, James picked up his rifle and moved down the hall the Lich had came from. They slowly entered a large bedroom that had a hole in the wall that led to a tunnel "My guess is there." James said as he clicked his tactical light on before he entered the tunnel. The stagnant stench of decay seemed to only increase as he walked deeper down the tunnel, the tunnel seemed to open to a large room that was lined with tombs that were broken open.

"It was the family of the occupants…" Ayumi said before the sound of groaning cut her off, a putrid, petrified hand reached out from one of the tombs as the zombie tried to grab her but Naomi lopped its head off with one swift slice. The head bounced and rolled to a stop near a grand tomb that had a Lion on the side of it, James got down on one knee and brushed some debris from the plate "High Priest Juniper." James said as he read the plate.

"The High Priest turned into a Lich? But… why?" Naomi asked as she looked around. "Umm… Naomi…" Shelyn said as she gestured to a mess of blackness on the ground. "Necromancy." Naomi stated as she inspected the debris on the ground next to the tomb along with a robed and withered corpse.

"It seems whoever did it, the Lich drained them of life." Naomi said as she inspected the petrified corpse. James slowly guided the girls out of the tomb before he ripped the pin from a grenade and tossed it down the tunnel, the grenade exploded and collapsed the tunnel in on itself. James looked around the area and shook his head "Well, let's get to work, we got some cleaning to do." James said as he laid his rifle on the dust-covered bed.

***Three hours of cleaning and inventing later***

After three hours, James and the girls had decorpsed the castle and cleaned the furnishings to make it habitable again. Naomi got to work fixing the bedrooms up, Ayumi tended to the furnishings in the main hall with Shelyn, and James created and installed lighting throughout the castle that would illuminate upon entry. He had already patched the hole in the wall and bullet casings from the fight.

Night had befallen the area and swallowed the grasslands in darkness, horned wolves howled in the distance while crickets chirped in the high grass. James stood in the cold air and surveyed the pitch-black grasslands as he gazed into the darkness, a large box of assorted materials sat next to him, he placed both hands on the materials "Modeling." James said before the materials glowed and turned into a single object, a multi-barreled M134 Minigun.

He lifted the high-speed mounted gun and placed it on a swivel mount he had already mounted to the brick wall, he slid a pin and locked it into place before he connected the ammo belt to the gun before he spun the barrel up to test the speed.

In the three hours James a spent creating things, he had also created giant flood lights and mounted them to the castle wall, he programed a generator to constantly supply electricity to objects within the castle. "Thank god these blueprints are just one google search away." James said before he blew imaginary smoke off his phone and slid it back into his pocket.

James quickly ran down the stairs he rebuilt and out into the plains in front of his newly refurbished castle, he held his hands out in front of him before he closed his eyes "Come forth darkness, I seek a hellhound: Cerberus!" James called out a portal of darkness formed in the air, fire erupted from it as it opened and the screams of the damned echoed out as a giant three-headed dog emerged from the vortex of fire and misery.

"Cerberus. I want you to patrol the perimeter of the base and alert me to anyone who gets close." James said as he instructed his guard dog, Cerberus barked and caused the animals to scurry to find shelter. The hellhound ran off and started its patrol, the three heads sniffed in different directions before they moved on to another area, James walked back into the castle before a new steel door slid and sealed the courtyard from the outside world.

The Marine walked back into the castle where everything was starting to come together slowly; the cobwebs had been wiped clean, the bodies disposed of along with the rotten food, and the furnishings had been cleaned tidied up. "Welcome back, Master." Ayumi said with a smile as James entered the room. He reached up to her but she flinched lightly as if she was anticipating something bad, he lightly brushed the blonde hair out of the way of her Fuchsia colored eyes.

"I would never lay a hand on you, ever." James said as he brushed the strand of hair out of her eyes, she seemed to blush and looked away from the Marine shyly. He was about to say something but he was cut off by Naomi who walked into the room topless as she dried her hair with a towel "Man, that shower thing is so refreshing." Naomi said before she wrapped the towel around her body and covered her C-cup breasts.

James looked away as soon as his eyes rested on her curvaceous figure "Oh James, you having naughty thoughts?" Naomi asked playfully, James chuckled lightly to himself before he moved past her and walked to the master bedroom, the once dust filled and decrepit bedroom was now clean and as if it hadn't been occupied by a Lich.

James unstrapped his molle vest and pulled it off before he laid over a chair, he unzipped his BDUs and pulled them from his body, the odor of sweat, blood, and gunpowder emanated from the pants as he stripped to his boxers. "Note to self: Invent a washer and dryer." James said to himself as he emptied the BDUs of their contents and laid them on the vanity.

James carried his BDUs over his shoulder and his 412 in his right hand as he made his way to the bathroom, he stepped in and turned the shower on to let it warm up. As the water warmed, he looked at himself in the mirror; the scars that crisscrossed his torso, each one bringing back a painful memory that played out in his mind as if it was yesterday. He traced a scar on his shoulder before the memory of being shot in the streets of Kandahar, his hand moved down to his ribs and he felt a raised scar on the right side of his torso from where he was hit by shrapnel from a roadside IED outside Basra, Iraq.

James snapped out of it before he turned his phone's mp3 player on and put on FFDP before he jumped into the shower.

**Wrong Side of Heaven – Five Finger Death Punch**

The distorted electric guitar strummed through before it was accompanied by drums, bass, and another guitar.

**I spoke to God today**

**And she said that she's ashamed**

**What have I become?**

**What have I done?**

James lowered his head as he remembered the bright-eyed recruits he watched go home in cardboard boxes, he remembered attending their funerals and seeing their grieving parents who were inconsolable. He remembered the young Marines from his platoon who idolized him for his bravery get brought back to base in body bags, he remembered crying over their bodies as the C-130 was readied to take those young men and women home.

**I spoke to the devil today**

**And he swears he's not to blame**

**And I understood**

**'Cause I feel the same**

James rested his head against the wall as tears started to stream down his cheeks and dripped down onto the marble floor, the repressed memories flooded in like a broken dam.

**Arms wide open**

**I stand alone**

**I'm no hero**

**And I'm not made of stone**

**Right or wrong**

**I can hardly tell**

"Why wasn't it me?! Why them?!" James yelled as he slammed his fist into the wall before he dropped to his knees and cradled his face in his hands.

**I'm on the wrong side of Heaven**

**And the righteous side of Hell**

**The wrong side of Heaven**

**And the righteous side... the righteous side of Hell**

As James sobbed, he heard an echoing voice in his head that seemed to comfort him "Come on now, I know you ain't crying over us." A voice said that seemed to shake James to his core, he looked to his left and saw a Marine with tan skin and smug grin.

"Ramirez?" James asked confused, Ramirez chuckled "You don't recognize your battle buddy, I'm hurt." Ramirez said as he feigned a hurt look. James stood up and went to hug the Marine but passed through him. "Hey, you got the second chance at life, I'm still dead, but the big man let me visit you. The boys are up there and they're proud of you, Kraken." Ramirez explained as James turned the song off and wiped his tears.

"This is impossible, this can't be." James started to say, but Ramirez cut him off "This is impossible? Dude, you died and were brought back to life in IRL Skyrim. I think we can raise the bar on what's possible." Ramirez said with a chuckle.

"God. I know you're listening. Bring back Ramirez, please!" James yelled as he looked up at the room, moments later his phone rang. Ramirez looked at the marksman with a confused look "Avon's calling." Ramirez said with a smirk.

James picked up the phone before he answered it "Go for Murphy." James said, there was a momentary pause before a voice came through "Anyone else?" The voice asked, James's eyes shot open wide as he looked back at Ramirez and slowly reached his hand out, this time his hand didn't pass through him. "Yes, Private Aaron Pearson, Corporal Noah Fox, and Lance Corporal Victoria Austin. Please." James said as he tacked on the politeness at the end.

"Done, now… don't destroy the world." God said before the call ended. "Bro… 2nd Battalion is back; The Warlords are back!" Ramirez said before he hugged the marksman. "Uhh, let me put on some pants." James said as he wrapped a towel around his waist.

James walked out of the bathroom and was greeted by the sight of three confused Marines "What the fuck? I thought I was dead." A tall, slender man said as he looked around the castle. "Private Pearson! Marines never die, we go to hell to regroup." James called out and brought the three Marines' attention to him.

"Sergeant Murphy!" The three exclaimed before they tackled him to the ground in a group hug. James chuckled as he let them have their moment, Lance Corporal Austin stood up and stood at attention "Sorry sir, we were just excited to see you again, sir." LCpl Austin said as she stood with her arms behind her back, Ramirez helped James off the ground as he maintained a death grip on his towel.

"Right so, we got some things to discuss. Firstly, you were brought back into a world where magic exists, and because of my sacrifice, the G-man supped me up." James started to say but Ramirez cut him off. "Oh, we know, it's like when we were brought back, we got this speed lesson of what you've done so far." Ramirez said with a shrug.

"Umm… James, who are these people?" Naomi asked shyly as she hid her body behind the wall. "Oh Naomi, these are my fellow Marines from my battalion. These are the best of the best of the 2nd Marines. Lance Corporal Victoria Austin here will keep you safe no matter what." James said as he introduced LCpl Austin to Naomi. "Nice to meet ya, girlfriend." LCpl Austin said in a southern Tennessee accent.

"Alright, let me get my uniform back on and I'll give y'all the tour." James said before he disappeared into the master bedroom, he quickly used water and fire magic to wash his BDUs before he slipped them back on. He quickly walked back out to the main room and addressed the 2nd Battalion. "Right, Marines. Follow me and I'll show you your new home and forward operating base." James said before he led them out into the courtyard, Corporal Noah Fox lit up like the fourth of July when he saw the Humvee in the shed.

"You got the fat bitch! Yes!" Cpl Fox said before he hugged the hood of the Humvee. "You were the best driver after all." James said as he led them into the shed. "I'll make y'all some guns when I get some more materials." James said as he showed them his workshop.

"Just an FYI guys, there's a three-headed devil dog outside the gate, he's mine." James said nonchalantly. "Alright, Dante's Inferno." Ramirez said with a chuckle. "Alright, when do we get to go beat down that little shit fuck who left you for dead?" Private Pearson asked as he cracked his knuckles, Ramirez patted Pearson on the shoulder and calmed him down "Easy there, Private. We'll get back at him, but in a more Marine Corps fashion." Ramirez said as he crossed his arms and the four Marines looked at Sergeant Murphy.

"Your call, Sarge." LCpl Austin stated as she placed her hands behind her back. James thought for a moment before he snapped his fingers "We build an arsenal, we have all the manpower we'll need, hell, Private Pearson is probably worth fifteen of their knights." James explained. "Then what?" Private Pearson asked, James chuckled "Then we make a name for ourselves, The Warlords. Ripping through enemies and liberating all of those oppressed." James explained, he was met with the simultaneous sound of four pairs of boots clicking together in unison.

"One last thing, I watched over your burial and Captain Cunningham promoted you to Gunnery Sergeant posthumously." Ramirez said before he saluted the newly promoted Gunnery Sergeant. James stood there in shock for a moment before he snapped back to reality "Right, so let me show you to your quarters and we'll get crackin' in the morning." James said before he led them back to the castle.

***30 Minutes Later***

James walked back to the master bedroom exhausted after he got everyone situated, he walked into the bedroom and was met with a sight straight from an ecchi anime; Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn were in the large bed under the covers, wearing nothing but inviting smiles. 'Hell yeah.' James thought to himself as he pulled off his BDUs and climbed in between the girls before they pounced on him.

***The next day***

James woke up at the crack of dawn and found the three girls on top of him, Ayumi and Naomi laid on either side of him with their head on his chest while Shelyn laid atop of him with her arms around his neck. James moved his hands up from her rear to the small of her back which caused her to moan in ecstasy, her eyes fluttered open slowly as she gazed into his deep blue eyes before she pressed her lips against his which surprised him, his arms tightened around her body as he pulled her in closer and savored her kiss.

She pulled away from his lips as she slowly opened her eyes, he brushed the long caramel colored hair out her violet eyes before she laid her head on his chest. Ayumi caressed his chin with her hand lightly as she slowly pushed her lips against his, Naomi kissed against his neck lightly as Shelyn moved to accommodate for Naomi's sudden invasion of her territory. Ayumi broke the kiss before Naomi immediately took her place and kissed the Marine, James ran his fingers through Naomi's black hair before he ran his fingers down the center of her back and caused her to arch her back in pleasure.

James slid his hand down Ayumi's back and elicited a moan from the blonde girl as she nibbled on his left ear, James broke his kiss from Naomi and pressed his lips against Ayumi's supple lips as his hand explored her body. Naomi's hand caressed his chest before it drifted down south and gripped his carbine in her soft hand, the sudden sensation caused James to jump slightly while he kissed Ayumi.

The catgirl giggled before she kissed his neck and bit down lightly, James shifted his body and pinned Ayumi to the bed before he kissed her again as Naomi primed his rifle before Shelyn took a hold of the rifle and Naomi sat up on her knees before she pressed her breasts into his arm. "I think she's ready." Naomi said soft and seductively into his left ear as Ayumi laid there, her pupils dilated in ecstasy as she licked her lips as she hungered for him.

Naomi pressed her lips into his as she guided him into Ayumi's radiating core, the kitsune inhaled sharply and arched her back as his sword sheathed itself inside of her. He leaned down and kissed her to comfort her before he started to move slowly, the old bed squeaked after years of neglect combined with the sudden action happening atop of it.

James sat up and grabbed onto her waist as he jackhammered into her, the kitsune moaned in euphoria as the Marine buried himself into her, Shelyn caressed Ayumi's breasts while she kissed the blonde beauty. Naomi caressed his chest as she kissed him deeply, Shelyn moved her body and straddled Ayumi's waist as she beckoned her Papaya to the Marine. James pulled himself from the blonde kitsune before he slowly pushed himself into the Wolfgirl, Shelyn moaned in discomfort as he pierced her veil but Ayumi kissed her to comfort her as her folds relaxed around him.

James started to piston himself into Shelyn's tight center as Naomi continued to kiss him, he picked up the pace as he thrusted into Shelyn's hot core. James snaked his hands under the wolfgirl's body and groped her breasts before he pulled her up against his torso while he continued to thrust into her, she leaned her head back and locked onto his lips as she melted in ecstasy in his arms.

Naomi snuck down beneath James and began to feast on Ayumi's hot honeycomb while James slammed himself into Shelyn's nova, Ayumi squirmed in ecstasy as the sensations rushed through her body like a rapid river. Shelyn reached up and held the back of James's head as he hammered into her core until she tightened her grip in his hair as her entire body shuddered, Shelyn lost feeling in her knees and collapsed onto Ayumi who caught the Wolfgirl.

James pulled himself from the shy beauty before he impaled the catgirl who lapped away at the Kitsune, Naomi gasped in ecstasy as his drill pierced her core and followed into her hot magma. James placed his hands onto Naomi's round ass as he restarted the jackhammer and pounded her concrete, the three girls moaned in bliss as the sensations crashed through them and brought them to their apex.

James sped up his thrusts into the catgirl, her moans muffled by Ayumi's nova, Shelyn panted heavily as Ayumi held her and kissed her slowly. Naomi lifted her head from Ayumi's center and let her dulcet moans echo through the room, James pulled himself from Naomi's love tunnel before he laid her on her back and reentered her with a thrust, her candescent walls wrapped around him as he resumed drilling for her love oil. Ayumi sat up and pressed her lips into James's as he pounded Naomi into bliss.

James's breathing began to increase as he tightened his grip on her waist and slammed into her honeycomb, the Marine gritted his teeth before he unsheathed his blade and let his oil vein erupt onto Naomi's breasts and belly, Ayumi swiftly devoured his rod and savored the flavor while Shelyn licked the man milk from Naomi's torso, Naomi wiped some up with her finger and licked it off.

Ayumi's head bobbed up and down until James grunted again as his vein erupted again, Ayumi slowly swallowed it all gulp after gulp. "Jesus Christ girls, you got some stamina." James said as he panted heavily, Naomi and Shelyn laid on either side of him while Ayumi laid down on top of him. "Wow, that was amazing… you were amazing." Naomi said as she traced circles on his chest with her finger.

James was about to close his eyes when a loud knock came from his door "Uhh Gunny, I know you're busy but, we got a situation out here." Ramirez said from the other side of the door, James sighed before Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn kissed him simultaneously "Go get 'em, we'll be here waiting for you." Ayumi said cutely as she moved off him and let him out of the bed.

James pulled on his boxers and his gear before he grabbed his Scar, he pulled back the bolt and walked out of the master bedroom. "What's the situation?" James asked as he rested his rifle on his shoulder. Ramirez rubbed the back of his head "Well, there seems to be a large group outside and they want this castle." Ramirez said, James expression changed from annoyed to pissed.

Ramirez led the Gunnery Sergeant out of the castle to the main wall where a M134 Minigun was mounted, James gazed out over the plains and observed a large group of armed mercenaries on horseback were grouped together as they seemed to be ready for an attack. "Right, I'll go set them straight. CERBERUS!" James yelled out before the giant three-headed dog bounded the corner and ran full speed to the large wall, James leaped off the ledge and landed on the hellhound.

"Alright boy, let's go see our new guests." James said, Cerberus barked and unleashed a stream of fire that engulfed a tree and burned it to a husk, James stared at the charred remains before he rubbed Cerberus's head "Let's try to not do that." James said before Cerberus took him to the raiding party.

"Alright, which one of you horse fuckers is the leader?" James asked as Cerberus paced back and forth, a large, bearded man stepped forward with a sword in hand. "That'd be me, I want your castle." The man said as tried to intimidate James. "You're trying to intimidate the man who's on the back of an actual hellhound… did the braincells skip a generation?" James asked sarcastically. The man gritted his teeth "Why you… I'll have your head!" The man said as he raised his sword, he was about to swing when Cerberus bit down and shook the man violently, the sound of bones snapping and tissue ripping echoed among the crowd before Cerberus dropped the man.

The man fell to the ground and struggled to stay alive, James hopped off Cerberus and placed his hand on the man "Come forth light, healing of the goddess, Mega Heal." James said before a bright flash of light swept over the man and healed every injury he had. The man stood up slowly and checked himself for injuries before he looked back at the Marine, there was a momentary pause before the man grabbed his sword "I think I have the wrong castle, the one I'm looking for is by a lake… yeah, that's it. Sorry for the inconvenience." The man said as he apologized before he attempted to leave.

"Not so fast. You come here again with ill intent and I will let Cerberus eat you… and he's a hungry boy." James said as Cerberus salivated behind him, the man nearly pissed himself when he looked up at Cerberus. "Right, a thousand pardons." The man said before he left in a hurry. James rubbed one of Cerberus's heads as he watched the would-be invaders leave. "Who's a good boy? You are, yes you are." James said as he baby talked Cerberus.

James climbed onto Cerberus and rode him back to the castle, he stepped off the hellhound and onto the stone wall "Man, I was hoping for a fight." Private Pearson said as he shadow-boxed the air. "Right, we gotta head to town and get supplies to build you guys weapons." James said as he walked down the steps, James walked inside and went to his room.

"Hey girls, I'm heading to town to get some things. Lance Corporal Austin will keep you company and teach you some things." James said before he kissed each of the bye. James stepped out of his room where LCpl Austin was waiting for him "Teach them everything they'll need to know about modern self-care and self-defense." James said, LCpl Austin nodded "Yes sir. Alright ladies, lesson one: How to suck a dick!" LCpl Victoria Austin said before she closed the door, James facepalmed and exhaled slowly 'Is it too late to get Private Morrison back?' James asked himself before he left the castle.

James pulled out a small satchel of coins and sat them on the table, he pulled a string and revealed a small pile of platinum and gold coins coins "So, 10 of these is roughly $367,278.00 USD or $36,727.80 each, gold is roughly $3,672.78 each. Let's get some stuff to build our arsenal." James said as he tied the satchel and placed it in his bag.

James grabbed his rifle and placed it on his back before he handed the Scar to Ramirez, Private Pearson picked up the M240B and rested it on his shoulder. "Think about what weapon you want so I can build it for you when we get back." James said as he placed his rifle into the weapon's rack inside the Humvee. Corporal Fox climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine up while Ramirez got into the passenger side, James climbed into the gunner seat as Private Pearson pushed the large steel gate open. The Humvee bucked forward suddenly as Corporal Fox got used to the pedals and drove out of the courtyard turned Forward Operating Base, Pearson closed the gate and locked it before he hopped into the back seat of the Humvee.

Corporal Fox pressed down the pedal and caused the Humvee to kick up dirt and grass as it took off into the plains, the wind rushed by the vehicle and into the openings on the roof. "Ramirez, plug my phone in and play some FFDP." James said as he handed his phone to his battle buddy. "Oorah." Ramirez said as he plugged the auxiliary cord into the smartphone and pressed play.

**Jekyll and Hyde – Five Finger Death Punch**

**There's just so much God damned weight on my shoulders**

**All I'm trying to do is live my motherfucking life**

**Supposed to be happy, but I'm only getting colder**

**Wear a smile on my face, but there's a demon inside**

**There's just so much God damned weight on my shoulders**

**All I'm trying to do is live my motherfucking life**

**Supposed to be happy, but I'm only getting colder**

**Wear a smile on my face, but there's a demon inside**

The Marines banged their heads in unison as the chorus began, Corporal Fox tightened his grip and pressed the pedal down which caused the RPM gauge to spike up as the dust and grass followed behind them. The Marines sang the chorus in unison as it came on.

**Oh, yo, yo, there's a demon inside**

**Oh, yo, yo, just like Jekyll and Hyde**

**Oh, yo, yo, all this anger inside**

**Oh, yo, yo, I feel like Jekyll and Hyde**

James gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the M2 as he surveyed the area, he watched a few trees before he watched group of bandits' storm out of the brush to try and ambush the Humvee. "Give 'em the Marine Corps welcome, sir." Pearson said as he grinned maliciously, James pulled back the charging bolt before he let the .50 cal rounds fly and shred their target. The bandits were ripped apart and mangled, limbs were tore from their bodies while they were still alive, the report of the M2 echoed out with a thunderous roar as the casings leaped from the heavy machine gun and bounced off the roof.

**There's just so much God damned weight on your shoulders**

**That you can't just live your motherfucking life**

**The story's getting old and my heart is getting colder**

**I just wanna be Jekyll, but I'm always fighting Hyde**

**You've got rocks in your head; I can hear them rolling 'round**

**You can say that you're above it, but you're always falling down**

**Is there a method to your madness? Is it all about pride?**

**Everyone I know, they've got a demon inside**

The Humvee raced past the now bloody mess as a few struggled to pull themselves to safety before another hail of bullets finished them off, James pulled back the bolt and ejected a jammed casing from the M2 as he focused the turret forward.

**Oh, yo, yo, there's a demon inside**

**Oh, yo, yo, just like Jekyll and Hyde**

**Oh, yo, yo, all this anger inside**

**Oh, yo, yo, I feel like Jekyll and Hyde**

The Humvee slowly pulled into a large town; the crowd dispersed as the Humvee slowly drove through the town; Ramirez turned down the music as they pulled up outside a large castle "I wonder who lives here." Pearson asked as a horse and carriage came up to the gate before it opened. The side opened quickly as the Duke exited with haste "Sergeant Murphy! It's great to see you again, I could surely use your help… who are your friends?" The Duke asked as he looked at the other three Marines.

"Uh… these are my comrades in arms, they're also Marines. Together we make up a group known as the Warlords." James explained as he hopped out of the Humvee. James looked past the Duke and saw Touya standing by the carriage "Excellent, you see my brother, the king, has been poisoned." The Duke said as Ramirez stepped out of the Humvee with the Scar in hand.

"Alright, we're gonna need names and direct us the scene of the incident." James said before he followed the Duke to the carriage, Ramirez guided the Humvee into the gates of the castle and parked it next to the castle. "Any idea as to who might have it out for the king? Maybe an assassin from a different nation?" James asked as the other Marines joined him. "If that were the case, it would be a simple matter but the Belfast kingdom is surrounded by three other nations: The Reeflese Empire, The Regulus Empire, and The Mismead Kingdom." The Duke explained, Ramirez thought for a moment before he looked at the Gunny "2003?" Ramirez asked, James looked the rifleman with a death glare.

"No, we are not invading another country. Remember how well that worked out the first time." James said through gritted teeth. "With the Imperial empire, after the war 20 years ago, we had formed a nonaggression treaty but, honestly, it's hard to say we're on good terms. And then there's the Mismead Kingdom to the south, the problem lies here." The Duke explained, James held his hand up "Hold up, what problem?" The marksman asked, the Duke exhaled slowly.

"During the war with the Imperial Empire 20 years ago, Mismead was still an emerging nation. My brother was trying to form an alliance with them to create restraints on the Imperial Empire and bring about new trade… but there are Nobles who were against that." The Duke elaborated.

"But why were they against it? If anything, they should be for it as it would be a way for them to make more money and have allies." James asked as he put the pieces together, the Duke lowered his head in shame "It's because the Mismead Kingdom is of Demi-Humans." The Duke explained. Ramirez chuckled "Looks like these Nobles need a visit from Uncle Sam." Ramirez said as he crossed his arms. "Oorah." James said in return as the Duke continued.

"Many Demi-Humans live there and a Beast-Man governs over them. To the older Nobles, that is unacceptable." The Duke said. "Because Demi-Humans were considered lower than humans, that's discrimination and frankly, it pisses me the fuck off. Now, tell me the details later; the more we chat, the deader your brother gets." James said before he and the Marines made their way up the steps to the castle.

As the Marines entered the castle, they were greeted by a portly man with a smug, shit eating grin "My word, who are these heathens who have entered the Royal Castle? Are they with you, Alfred?" The man asked in a condescending tone. "Can it, Penguin, nobody wants to hear your shit." Pearson said as he held his M240B. "Count Balsar…" The Duke said with a somewhat tense tone of voice.

"Please relax, Alfred. We captured the person who aimed to take his majesty's life. Why, it is the Mismead Kingdom's Ambassador. His highness collapsed after drinking wine." Count Balsar said with a smug grin. "Can I please kick his ass?" Corporal Fox asked as he cracked his knuckles. "Down boy." Ramirez said as he placed his hand on the Corporal's shoulder.

"It was determined that the wine was delivered by Mismead's Ambassador. The Ambassador is being restrained in another room, it shows just how monstrous the beasts are, we should remove their head and send it back to Mismead." The Count said, James reached for his revolver before the Duke stepped forward "YOU WILL NOT! Everything will be decided by my brother, you will only have the Ambassador stay in a room." The Duke barked; Count Balsar snickered.

"I see, words are wasted on the like of a beast, I shall do as you say. However, should the worst come to his highness, I won't be able to stop the other Nobles, you know?" The Count said in a foreboding tone. "Should that happen, the Ambassador will face a trial and should you lay a finger on them, I'll send you to hell myself." Fox said as he got in the Count's face.

"Mind your manners, **boy.**" The Count said, Fox chuckled "Oh, you called me boy? Cool." Fox said before he grabbed the Count by the jacket and slammed his head into the Count's nose, the audible crack of the cartilage breaking echoing through the room as Fox drove his knee into the Count's gut and slammed his elbow down on the back of his head. Fox placed his foot on the fat man's back before he grabbed the man's arm, he jerked it upward before he twisted it and dislocated the Count's arm.

Balsar howled in pain before he passed out, Fox adjusted his BDU as he took his place "Word of advice, Count Ballsack. Don't call a black man, boy. Do it again and I'll paint you on the wall." Fox said before wiped blood off his forehead. "Your brother, now." James ordered; the Duke nodded before he led them to the grand bedroom where people were gathered around a man in the bed. The Duke was about to speak when James pushed past him and walked up to the man in bed "Recovery." James said out loud as his hands glowed, the man sat up immediately before he looked around confused.

"How do you feel?" The doctor asked, the King looked around amazed "I-I feel perfectly fine, the pain from just before feels like a lie." The King said, he looked over at the Marines and Touya before he looked back at the Duke. "The one who healed my wife's eyes, Sergeant James Murphy. He's an elite soldier and these are his comrades." Alfred said as he gestured to the marksman. "He happened to be coming by when we arrived so I figured he could help and try to save you." Alfred said as he explained the situation to the King.

James and the Marines clicked their boots together in unison as they saluted the King "Gunnery Sergeant James Murphy, United States Marine Corps. Sergeant James Ramirez United States Marines. Corporal Noah Fox. Private Aaron Pearson." The Marines said as they sounded off. "Wait, you're both named 'James'?" Touya asked confused, Ramirez chuckled "Yeah, we found out in basic, that's why I go by Ramirez." Ramirez explained.

"Oh god, Sergeant Foley almost blew his vocal cords yelling at us in basic." James said as he remembered basic training. "I see, you have my thanks, James." The King said as he looked at the Marines. "Brother, about the Mismead Ambassador…" The started to say.

"What about the Ambassador?" The King inquired; the Duke hesitated for a moment "They have been restrained by Count Balsar as the leader of your assassination. What do you think?" The Duke asked, the King was taken aback "That can't be! What is there for Mismead to gain by killing me?! This is the action of someone trying to get in my way." The King exclaimed.

"But… it's true that you collapsed after drinking the wine delivered by the Ambassador. Many people were there to witness, as long as that suspicion is not cleared…" A man with brown hair started to say before James cut him off "Where did this happen? I need you to take me to the location." James said as cracked his knuckles as the door opened and a girl with orange hair walked in. "Olga Strand, I have come forth." Olga said as she stated her presence, the King turned and faced the young girl "I'll get to the point, did you come here with the intent of killing me?" The King asked, Olga placed her hand on her chest as she swore on her life "I swear that's not the case, I would never do something as serving his highness poison!" Olga exclaimed, the King nodded his head "I figured, you're not someone to do something that foolish, I believe you." The King stated.

"But what about the poison in the wine?" A woman with a staff asked, James nodded "If you'll show me to the room where it happened and bring the wine back to the room, I know you most likely sent it off to be examined." James asked before the General led them to the Grand Dining Room.

"Alright, is everything as it was when he collapsed?" James asked, the General nodded as Murphy started to examine a wine glass. "Mhmm, the wine wasn't poisoned… the glass was." James said, Ramirez chuckled "Man, that's some weak sauce. Just rub some Ricin on his neck and watch the show." Ramirez said as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "General, please call everyone into the room, including Balsar." James said as he twisted the stem of the glass in his hand.

Minutes later, everyone had entered the room including the badly beaten Balsar "Good heavens, what happened Count Balsar?" The woman with the staff asked, Balsar was about to start the water works but James cut him off "He insulted my Corporal here and called him a derogatory name so my Corporal put the hurt on him." James explained. "Now, this is the wine that Olga brought, correct?" James asked the room. "It's true that it was from me but I didn't poison it…" Olga started to say before Count Ballsack cut her off.

"Silence! You damned beast-woman! To think you'd open your mouth, have you no shame." Count Balsar exclaimed, James pulled his revolver from his side and placed the barrel against Balsar's forehead "One more outburst and you get to see what this does up close." James said as he cocked back the hammer of the revolver.

"Ramirez, catch!" James said before he tossed the bottle to his battle buddy, Ramirez caught the bottle and pulled the cork before he chugged some of the wine. "Hmm, it's sweet with a rustic taste, very delicious." Ramirez said as he placed the bottle on the table. "So why pray tell, is he perfectly fine? Cause the glass was poisoned and not the wine, Olga, you're innocent. But who had the most to gain from blaming the death of the King on the Demi-Humans? Well it's our fuckboy extraordinaire! Come on down and receive your complimentary ass whooping!" James exclaimed.

The Count looked offended "How DARE YOU accuse me of something like this?" The Count said, James walked up to him and stared him down "Because you're the only one that wanted to have them executed without any form of investigation and that just screams guilt." James said as he grabbed the Count by the vest and slammed him into the wall. "You either admit your guilt or we'll pull it from you, by force." James said as he got in the Count's face.

"Do your worst." The count barked. James dragged the Count toward a chair while he flailed wildly, James threw the Count into the chair before Pearson and Fox grabbed a hold of his arms. Ramirez picked up a pitcher of water and a rag, Ramirez held the rag over the Count's mouth and nose before James poured the water over his face. Balsar's legs flailed wildly as he struggled to breathe, Ramirez stopped pouring the water and let him breathe before Fox slammed his right fist into the Count's face. Left hook, right hook, uppercut, jab to the chest, and a jab to the jaw before they replaced the rag and started the water again.

"Stop! I think he's had enough!" Touya shouted, James chuckled "Nah, we're just getting started." James said as he unsheathed a knife and stabbed it into the table. Ramirez stopped the water and let the Count breathe again "Who put you up to this?!" James yelled as he grabbed the Count by the throat. Balsar coughed up water before he struggled to speak "I- acted alone… those dirty Demi-Humans." Balsar said as he gritted his teeth. James grabbed Balsar by the back of the head and slammed him face into the table, the Count's body fell limp as he was knocked unconscious.

"There's your proof, straight from the horse's mouth, do with him what you will." James said as he and the Marines started to leave the room, but the King stopped him "While I can't say I agree with your methods, you did bring the assailant to justice and prevented a war so what can I do for you?" The King asked, James thought for a moment. "I tell you what, how about we sit down and get to know each other before I decide on anything. Pearson, Fox, take this medallion and some Platinum, here's a list of supplies, go to the shops and get everything." James said as he dismissed the Private and Corporal.

"James, would you please join us for some tea?" The King asked as he gestured to two Marines to a side room, James and Ramirez nodded to each other before they followed the King into the small room. Touya was sat at the table next to the Duke and a woman he hadn't met before "Ahh, James, I want to thank you again for healing my wife, she keeps saying how blessed she is for having met an angel like yourself." Alfred said which caused James and Ramirez to choke on their tea.

"My goodness, are you alright?" The woman asked concerned, James wiped his chin and nodded "Yeah, it's just… we don't get called angels, like, ever. We're always called demons or the devil-incarnate." James said, Touya rolled his eyes "That's an understatement." Touya said faintly, Ramirez lowered his teacup and glared at the boy "You wanna run that by me again, son?" Ramirez asked, Touya looked up innocently and feigned ignorance "Huh, what?" He asked faux confused. Ramirez was about to snap but James patted him on the shoulder as he started to hum 'Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue' by Toby Keith, Ramirez chuckled as he sipped his tea.

The Duke and King stared at them confused before the mystery lady broke the tension "So! James, I saw that you could use Null magic? That's rare. Any other tricks up your sleeve?" The woman asked, James rubbed his chin for a moment before he grabbed the saucer and held it up "Modeling." James said before the small plate turned into a ceramic throwing knife. James spun the blade around in his fingers before he threw it full force at Touya, the blade caught him off guard and stabbed him in the shoulder.

"What are you doing?!" The Duke exclaimed, James pulled the blade from Touya's shoulder and used light magic to heal the wound "That's payback for leaving me for dead in the old royal capital." James said as he pulled Touya to his feet. "What is happening?!" The Duke exclaimed confused. "A day or two ago, we found the remains of the old capital and we went to explore it, well Touya and the girls went deeper into the remains, then it started to rumble and collapse. I ran in deeper to find them, thinking that something happened but I never found them. So, I ran and barely escaped with my life intact, well I found Touya and the girls outside fighting a glass monster. They used gate to escape the ruins but didn't bother to get me out, I was waiting to make sure nothing came behind them, they basically left me to fend for myself." James explained.

Touya lowered his head "Unfortunately, he speaks the truth." Touya said before he covered his mouth "Wait, that's not what I wanted to say…" Touya said before he looked at James who held a small vile in his hand. "It's crazy, you can cast spells by saying it in your head." James said as the ceramic knife turned back into a plate. "What did you do to me?" He asked confused, James sighed "It's called Sodium Pentothal or truth serum, it inhibits your ability to lie." James said as he placed the vile into his pocket.

"But how did you…" Touya asked before he remembered the knife. "Touya… you left James behind…" The Duke asked, Touya lowered his head "It… It was an accident, we had to get out of there and I knew James could get out alone… I didn't think he would run to find us." Touya explained.

"He's your friend and you don't leave friends behind." Ramirez said, James nodded "Look, I got my revenge by making him confess in front of everyone so they'll know the truth. We can put this behind us." James explained, the Duke and King looked at him stunned while a young girl stared at the two of them. "You're a good man, James." The King said as he sipped is tea.

"You said you can use Null magic, then maybe you can read something." The woman said before she disappeared. "That's Charlotte, the Royal Court Magician." The King explained as Charlotte returned with a scroll, she unrolled it for James and Touya to read but neither could make heads or tails of it. James grabbed a wine glass and held it in his hand before he closed his eyes "Modeling." James said before the wine glass turned into a pair of glasses.

"What language did you say it's in?" The Marine asked, Charlotte clasped her hands together as she stood next to the Marine. "It's an ancient spirit language." Charlotte said as James held his hand up and closed his eyes "Enchant: Reading: Ancient Spirit Language." James said as he held the glasses up to the Magician.

"Here, try them on." James said to the woman, Charlotte took the glasses and placed them on her face before she read the scroll. "Oh my god! I can read it!" Charlotte exclaimed; James chuckled before he slowly removed them from her face which caused her to blush. "Copy." James said as he produced another pair of spirit glasses.

"I feel like these will come in handy later." James said as he handed the originals back to Charlotte. "Father, mother, I've decided." The young girl said suddenly as she stood up. "What happened, Yumina?" The King asked, Yumina gestured to Touya as she placed her hand on her chest. "This Touya Mochizuki, the two of us, please allow us to marry." Yumina said which caught Touya and the two Marines off guard.

"Ramirez, call the police." James said as he narrowed his eyes at Touya. "I'm sorry, but could you say that one more time, Yumina?" The King asked, Yumina cleared her throat and spoke clear and proper "Like I said, I would like you to allow me to marry this Touya Mochizuki, father." Yumina pleaded, the King rubbed his chin in thought "And what's your reasoning?" King Belfast asked.

"Well, I can tell he has an exemplary moral character and the desire to do good things, to help people. He and James are a lot alike in that sense, except James has a much more… direct approach whereas Touya has a more pacifistic method, and Touya is much closer to my own age." Yumina explained, James nodded "Touya also possesses the abilities that I do, it's just that when it comes down to certain situations, you have to act first and then ask questions later, also I'm like twenty-five." James added.

"That personality of his is very appealing, and that was the first time I thought 'I want to walk together with him throughout my life.'" Yumina explained as she pleaded with her father. "Is that so?" King Belfast asked, there was a momentary silence before he laughed heartily "There's no way I can refuse you after you said that! I wish you happiness." The King said, Touya seemed to be inaudibly screaming at the fact. "Hold on a second! Um, you see… it's troubling for me if you progress the conversation on your own." Touya said while James and Ramirez laughed silently.

"In that case, please take good care of my daughter." The King said, Touya lowered his head and sighed "That's not right! King, that's not right!" Touya exclaimed as he stood up. "First off, is it really okay to let the princess of a country marry some guy from who-knows-where!? I might be some major villain, you know!?" Touya exclaimed as he tried to escape the sudden marriage proposal.

The King sighed "There is no mistake regarding that since Yumina has accepted you, you are at the least, no villain. That goes the same for you, James, but you're a bit too old for her." The King said, James squinted his eyes "…thanks… I guess." James said as he sipped from his tea. "See, she has the ability to sense that kind of quality, Yumina has magic sight; she has the power to see through a human's qualities. Well, it's like intuition, however… Yumina has never made a mistake." The King explained.

"In any case, how old is princess Yumina anyway?" Touya asked. "Oh, she has just turned 12." The King said, James and Ramirez almost choked on the tea. "Isn't that too early to be thinking about marriage?" Touya asked, the King chuckled "No, royal families usually have the engagement partners decided before the age of 15, even me and my wife were engaged when we were 14." The King explained, Touya sighed and looked up at Yumina who looked like she was hurt "Do you dislike me, Touya?" Yumina asked, Touya seemed to hesitate momentarily as he chose his words correctly.

"I do not dislike you, but…" Touya started to say before Yumina cut him off "In that case, there are no problems." Yumina said with an excited look on her face. "Come on, Toyota, you can't say no to that face, hell you're like what, 15? … Now that I say it out loud, excuse me while I go call Interpol." Ramirez said as he pulled out his own phone.

"Is there a problem?" The King asked, James finished his tea and cleared his throat. "Where Ramirez and I come from, there is a thing called the age of consent which is the minimum age for two parties to consent to being in a romantic or sexual relationship, that age is 18. Anyone who engages in sexual or romantic activity with anyone under 18 is subject to prison time and being labeled as a sex offender. From where he's from, it's also 18 so this is a bit taboo considering our cultural differences, in our culture, these people who engage with in sexual activity with minors or anyone under 18, are vilified and shunned by society if not out right killed." James explained as he paced back and forth in the small room.

"In addition, I don't know anything about the princess, I can't think about marriage at this point." Touya protested, the Queen tilted her head "You're 15, correct?" She asked, Touya nodded "Yeah, I'll be turning 16 soon." Touya explained, the Queen clapped her hands together and smiled happily "Which means the wedding will be in 2 years! As long as you get to know Yumina during that time, there won't be any problems. For now, we'll just leave it at engaged and give you some time to think, Touya." The Queen said.

"If after 2 years of getting to know Yumina and you still can't consider her for marriage, we'll give up. How about we start from there?" The King asked, Touya nodded before the Queen looked at Yumina excitedly "Isn't that great Yumina, make sure to capture Touya's heart in those 2 years. If you can't do that, prepare to spend the rest of your life in a monastery." The Queen said, Yumina nodded her head determinedly as Touya looked on alarmed.

"I look forward to being with you from now on, Touya" Yumina said as she sat down next to Touya. "Now, James, what can I do for you? I don't have any other daughters so that's off the table. Would you want a mansion?" The King asked, James shook his head as he sat down. "Nah, I found an abandoned castle out in the plains and cleared it out, the occupants had been LONG dead when I arrived." James explained.

"Was there a lion crest in the wall?" The King asked, James nodded. "I see… that used to belong the Junipers and High Priest Juniper, he was a great man." The King said, James lowered his head and sucked in some air. "Someone turned him into a Lich and the Lich killed the Necromancer before it killed the occupants of the castle." James explained. The King lowered his head and sighed "He was a good man and it's unfortunate to hear someone defiled his grave. Thank you for putting him to rest, he was a dear friend of mine and it means a lot." The King said as he thanked the Marine.

"Now, what I need would be resources, raw materials and financial resources as well. The Juniper castle, how much land is on the estate?" James asked, the King rubbed his chin in thought as he tried to think "I'm not certain, but how much do you want?" The King asked, James brought up a map on his phone and showed it to the King. "Oh! What's this magic? A tiny cartographer?" The King asked, James shrugged "Yeah, sort of. So, here's the castle I found, it's sort of built into rock face which is cool. So, if you can grant me the right to the entire plain, that would be phenomenal." James said, the King looked at the map and the amount of land being asked for.

"Alright, consider it done. As for the resources, here's a sigil of the Royal family, this will not only give you access to what you need, but it should also reduce the prices dramatically." The King said as he handed him a golden medallion. "And finally, here's something for the financial problems." The King said as a side door opened and a butler walked out with small chest, he opened the lid and revealed approximately thirty platinum coins.

"Holy shit, that's amazing." James said in disbelief. "Will this suffice?" The King asked, James nodded "Yes sir!" James said enthusiastically as he placed the coins into a small satchel in his bag. Half an hour passed as they all talked and learned some things about the world before the sound of a loud V8 roared outside "Right, looks like Fox and Pearson are back, we'll be seeing you, your highness. If you ever need anything, you know where you can find me. Later Tofu." James said before he and Ramirez left the Royal castle.

The Royal family and Touya walked to the door and watched as the Marines climbed into the Humvee, James pulled back the charging handle on the M2 and cleared a spent shell before he slapped the roof. He looked behind them and saw a few carriages carrying large crates of supplies, Fox shifted the Humvee into gear and slowly pulled forward. James looked to his left and waved goodbye to the Belfast family as the Humvee slowly picked up speed but maintained a speed so the carriages could follow.

After a few minutes of driving, they arrived back at the castle and parked the Humvee inside the courtyard before they unloaded the materials from the carriages using James's null spells to move the heavy objects.

***One Hour Later***

An hour passed since they returned to the castle and got everything situated, James was in the workshop organizing things with Ramirez, Fox was cleaning the casings from the Humvee, and Pearson was on the M134 mounted on the wall overlooking the vast plains. Lance Corporal Austin was still with the girls, teaching them about modern feminine hygiene and self defense tactics among other things.

"Alright, let's get this going." James said as he placed four bricks of steel, one medium block of aluminum, and a small amount of polymer on the table, he held his hand over the materials and closed his eyes "Modeling." James said as the materials changed into an M4a1 Carbine, he grabbed the barrel and used Modeling to apply the rifling to the weapon. He picked the rifle up and pushed the buttstock against his shoulder as he looked down the iron sights, he twisted it around as he inspected the rails on the top and side of the Carbine.

James's phone buzzed in his pocket, he placed the rifle on the table before he pulled it out and inspected it. A new message had popped up from the G-Man, 'Forgot to mention, I gave them the same abilities as you. Sorry.' James sighed slowly as he slipped the phone back into his pocket. "Ramirez, apparently the big man gave you the same powers as me so here, try it out." James said as he slid two pieces of metal in front of the Marine.

"Hold your hand out and picture what you want to make in your mind, when you got it, say Modeling." James said as he instructed Ramirez, the man nodded as he closed his eyes "Modeling." Ramirez said before the materials glowed and turned into a full tang Ka-Bar. "Holy shit, it worked!" Ramirez exclaimed as he held the knife in his hand.

The two Marines got to work building weapons: six M4a1's, eight Colt M45's, three M249 Saw's, four Benelli M4's, three Barrett M107's, and six dozen M67 Hand Grenades. They quickly built a weapons locker and stored the weapons in the back of the workshop before they moved onto the next item at hand. Before they left the workshop, they explained everything to Fox and instructed him to construct ammunition for the weapons that were built.

James pulled his phone out and activated the Null spell Speaker on his phone before he projected a small speaker into the air. He swiped through a few songs before he pressed play, the sound of hi hats being hit came through the magic speaker before intense heavy metal guitar followed it.

**Lift Me Up – Five Finger Death Punch Ft. Rob Halford (Judas Priest)**

**It ain't no mystery**

**I'm all I have left**

**I'm pushing back and running you over**

**I've been thrown down run around**

**Beaten 'til I hit the ground**

**Telling you right now that it's over!**

James and Ramirez got to work moving giant pieces of titanium into place.

**There's no room for mistakes**

**All the parts are in place**

**Say what you will but say it to my face**

**Better back the fuck up**

**Better shut the fuck up**

**I'll do what I want and I'll never give up**

The sound of a double kickdrum came through amongst the heavy metal guitar and bass that almost echoed off the castle walls.

**I won't be broken**

**I won't be tortured**

**I won't be beaten down**

**I have the answer**

**I take the pressure**

**I turn it all around**

**Lift me up above this**

**The flames and the ashes**

**Lift me up and help me to fly away**

**Lift me up above this**

**The broken the empty**

**Lift me up and help me to fly away**

**Lift me up**

The two Marines held their hands out and used Modeling at the same time to reduce the strain it would cause on one person; the titanium began to glow as it took shape and formed slowly.

**I'm gonna change history**

**Enlighten the world**

**Teach them how to see through my eyes**

**I'm gonna lash back check that**

**Fatal as a heart attack**

**Stomp out all the ugliest lies**

**You can't convince me to change**

**We ain't on the same page**

**I've had my fill now there's nothing but rage**

**Best get out of my way**

**Cause there's nothing to say**

**Is that all that you got?**

**Because I ain't got all day**

The titanium stopped glowing and had finally taken its form as an M777a1 Howitzer, Ramirez grabbed the handle and twisted it to raise and lower the barrel of the field howitzer, he lowered it down so James could apply the rifling to the barrel. James applied Gravity to the piece of artillery and moved it with ease despite it weighing 4 tons.

**I won't be broken**

**I won't be tortured**

**I won't be beaten down**

**I have the answer**

**I take the pressure**

**I turn it all around**

**Lift me up above this**

**The flames and the ashes**

**Lift me up and help me to fly away**

**Lift me up above this**

**The broken the empty**

**Lift me up and help me to fly away**

**Lift me up**

James used Modeling to create a 155mm artillery shell and enchanted it with the spell Explosion. James slid the shell into the breach of the Howitzer along with two propulsion charges as the song ended and adjusted the elevation before he pulled the rip cord, the barrel recoiled as the shell erupted from the Howitzer and screamed through the air before it arched and impacted a tree in the middle of the plain. The shell detonated in a large explosion and carved a crater in the ground, the breach opened and a plume of smoke erupted from the breach as James and Ramirez high-fived each other.

"Awesome! Fucking awesome!" Ramirez said as he lowered the Howitzer's elevation. James placed his hands on the guidance system before he closed his eyes "Enchant: Long sense." James said as he enchanted the guidance system. "Start program: Adjust barrel elevation to match guidance system firing distance. End program." James said before he adjusted the guidance system to 9 miles out. The two Marines watched as the barrel rose slowly and stopped as it was now ranged in for 9 miles.

Ramirez picked up five pieces of metal and used Modeling to make it into a long pole, James used some nylon rope and stringed it up along the pole before they stood it up and embedded it into the ground, they used Modeling on some stone and modeled it around the base of the pole. Fox walked out a minute later with an American flag and hoisted it up the pole as James and Ramirez saluted it.

"So, what now?" Fox asked, James thought for a moment before walked over to the workshop and pulled out a sheet paper "Drawing." James said before the diagram of an M270 MLRS with an armament of multiple MGM-140 ATACMS surface to surface missiles. "We need to get a guidance system up and running." Fox said as he looked at the blueprints. Ramirez thought for a moment before he chuckled "You're thinking too hard, we can just use a laser designator." Ramirez said, James chuckled "Well shit, I was thinking of using a satellite or an inertial guidance system." James said as he crossed is arms.

"Look at this, I outfitted the guns with attachments like ACOG scopes, foregrips, laser sights, and different kinds of scopes." Fox explained as he showed them the guns in the racks. "Impressive, good job, Corporal." James said to the Marine. "Thank you, sir." Fox said as he saluted the marksman.

James looked outside and found that the sun was starting to set, the Marines got to work putting everything away and applying Protection to the newly created weapons, Fox pulled the flag down and folded it with Ramirez before he placed it on the hood of the Humvee. James walked into the castle and made his way to the master bedroom, Lance Corporal Austin stepped out as he walked in to see the three girls waiting for him eagerly.

"Uhh, Victoria… what did you teach them?" James asked concerned, LCpl Austin laughed "Thank me later." Victoria said as she shut his door, James took a single step before the girls grabbed a hold of him and dragged him into the bed.

**A/N: Hey there, readers! Hope you liked the chapter; it took me quite a bit to write this. A lot of things are happening right now and I'm starting my career in private security so I might not have as much free time to write as I used to, so if I don't upload for a bit, just know I haven't abandoned you. Look forward to chapter 4, remember to Favorite, Follow, & Review, and as always, this is Nightmare 6-4, signing off.**


	4. Chapter 4: Hellfire

Ch. 4 – Hellfire

**In Another World with My Smartphone is owned by AT-X, Tokyo MX, and BS11, I only own the OCs. Oorah!**

James woke up underneath the girls as sunlight crept through the windows and illuminated the room, his eyes adjusted to the light and was met by Ayumi's fuchsia colored eyes "Morning, cutie." James said as he kissed the kitsune, Shelyn was to his left side and cradled his arm as his right hand rested on Naomi's ass. As he laid there underneath his harem, a knock came from the door "Hey Gunny, are you up?" Fox asked from the other side of the door. "What is it, Fox?" James asked as he held his lovely ladies in his arms. "Well sir, Pearson and Ramirez figured out their powers and have been hard at work and... well, I think you should come see this." Fox said, James sighed as Naomi moved off of him.

James climbed out of bed and pulled his gear on as Naomi, Shelyn, and Ayumi cuddled together in his warmth, Murphy walked out of his room and was greeted by both Fox and Austin, who had a smug grin on her face. "You have fun last night, sir?" Austin asked as they walked through the refurbished castle, James shook his head "I don't know what you taught them, Victoria... but thank you!" James said excitedly, Fox lead the two Marines outside to the courtyard where Pearson and Ramirez were. Ramirez stood next to a fully built Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion "Whaddya think?!" Ramirez asked as he gestured to the heavy duty helicopter.

"I have no words, this is awesome. Is it ready to go?" James asked, Ramirez shook his head as he gestured to three large engines that sat next to the shed "Almost, we just need you to put the finishing touches on it." Ramirez said as James was doing a once over on the helicopter, James walked up to the engines and used Program to configure the engines to run on lightning spells that acted as an electric generator system, the heavy duty helicopter ran on three General Electric T64-GE-416/416A series turboshaft engines.

After James finished up the spells on the engines, he and Ramirez used the null spells 'Gravity' and 'Levitation' to allow them to lift the engines into the engine compartments on the side and on top of the helicopter, the two Marines quickly bolted them in place before they ran the wiring to the engines that would power the rest of the helicopter.

They closed the covers and hopped off the helicopter as Lance Corporal Victoria Austin was climbing into the cockpit, she shot them a thumbs up as she flipped some switches and activated the engines. The slow winding of the turbines filled the air as the turbines slowly spun up, she pressed a button on the control panel that caused the rotors to slowly start spinning faster and faster before the seven blades turned to a single spinning blob. Austin slowly pushed the throttle forward as the blades spun faster until the helicopter slowly lifted off the ground and rose into the sky, the four Marines watched in amazement as the large helicopter flew away from the castle and rose higher into the sky.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" James asked as he watched the helicopter fly around before it turned and flew back toward the castle, the Super Stallion circled the area twice before it slowly touched down in the courtyard, Lance Corporal Austin flipped some switches as the turbines slowly powered off and the rotors slowed to a stop. Austin stepped out of the cockpit and walked toward the other Marines who looked at her in a giddy manner. "Well? Whaddya think?" Ramirez asked as he looked at her with a smirk, she chuckled and shrugged "Well, it's no Venom, but it'll do." She said in a deadpan tone before she smirked and slugged him in the arm.

"All she's missing are the GAU-17s and the M2 in the rear, then she'll be complete and ready to bring Freedom!" Pearson said as he stuck his chest out, Fox chuckled "America! Fuck Yeah!" Fox said out loud as he sang the song to himself. The Marines quickly got to work building the components to the weapons, James, Ramirez, and Fox built the GAU-17s and M2 while Pearson and Austin put the finishing touches on the Super Stallion along with some extra things like dual rocket pods on the sides of the helicopter. "Man, why didn't they do this before?" Pearson asked as he loaded a newly created missile into the pod tube, Victoria stared at him dumbfounded "Because... it would increase the helicopter's weight." Victoria said, having been a pilot before her initial death back on earth in 2016. As a pilot, she was we well versed in the physics and fundamentals of aviation including aerodynamics and fuel/weight ratios.

James and Ramirez carried the GAU-17s inside the helicopter as Pearson finished bolting the swivel mounts to the frame, James placed the minigun into the mount holder before he bolted it in place; James moved the mounted weapon in all directions before he flipped the power switch on and pressed one of the buttons which caused the barrel to spin up. He released the button as he jumped out of the helicopter "Alright, y'all finish up with this. I'm gonna go check on the girls." James said as he started to make his way toward the castle, Victoria looked up and shot him a knowing look "Go get 'em, Gunny!" Victoria yelled as James walked inside the refurbished castle, James shook his head as he walked into the newly built kitchen where the girls were at as they finished up having breakfast.

"Hi James!" The girls said in unison, James came to a stop as he admired their beauty, he walked in and pushed himself up onto the counter "Would you girls like to go to town with me, maybe buy you some clothes and spend some time together out in public." James asked as he silently admired each of the girls as they conversed to one another. "We'd love to, James." The girls said as they surrounded the Marine, the marksman felt his body heat up as the girls pushed their bodies against his in a seductive manner. 'God damn it, Victoria!' James yelled in his mind as he pulled into bliss. The girls leaned in and kissed him on the lips one by one before they went off to freshen up, leaving James by himself in the kitchen 'I don't miss my old life one bit, this is paradise.' James thought to himself as memories of when he was in high school surfaced in his mind.

***8 Years ago, Florida. This will contain offensive language, reader beware.***

A young man walked the halls of a mundane high school, he had a slouched posture, a black eye, and a busted lip. He looked at the floor as he walked to his next class, the 16 year old carried a tattered backpack that had a digital camo design to it. The teen walked up a set of stairs to the 2nd floor of the school and walked up to a locker, he started to put in his combination when something slammed him into the locker and knocked him to the ground "Watch where you're going, loser." The beefy man in a varsity jacket said as he laughed and high-fived his friends who laughed along with him. "Just leave me alone, Ryan, I'm not in the mood." James said as he pushed himself up off the floor, Ryan scoffed and kicked James in the ribs "Did I say you could get up, loser?" Ryan asked as he stepped on the teen's hand, Ryan's friends ripped the backpack from James's back and tore it open.

"Let's see what you got in here, faggot." Ryan said as he ripped the bag open and dumped the contents onto the floor, loose papers, a textbook, a weapons magazine, and a brochure for the US Army fell onto the floor; Ryan picked the brochure up and scoffed "Oh, does the little bitch wanna be a soldier? I don't think they allow fags into the military, let alone wastes of space like you. Oh, did your dad beat you up again, he should've just killed you and done us all a favor." Ryan said as he spat on the teen, one of the girls in the group didn't laugh and stood by the lockers as Ryan and his posse left.

James looked at the ground and exhaled as he stood up slowly, the girl knelt next to him and helped him pick up his stuff "I'm sorry about all that, he's an asshole." The girl said as she handed James his stuff, James didn't say a word as he put the things back in his bag and zipped up what he could. He stood up and turned to walk away without saying a word, the girl stood up and scoffed "You don't have to be an asshole like him, I just tried to help is all." The girl said in an bitchy tone.

James whipped around and glared at her "If you wanted to help, why didn't you stop them? Why haven't you stopped him before?" James asked before he walked away to his next class. Ryan had been bullying James for a year and he had put up with all the bullshit silently, nobody stopped to help him since they saw him as the school's weirdo because he kept to himself and never spoke.

James walked into the gymnasium where his class was waiting for him "Mr. Murphy, it's nice for you to finally join us..." The coach started to say but stopped speaking when he looked up from his clipboard. "Alright guys, take a few laps and then have free day. Murphy, come with me." The coach said as he led the roughed up teen outside. "What's going on, James?" The coach asked as he crossed his arms, James sighed and looked at the ground "I can't keep this up, I go home and get my shit kicked in then come to school only to ostracized because I keep to myself." James said as he unleashed everything that was in his heart.

"Coach Valdez, I don't know what to do anymore." James said as he started to breakdown, Valdez grabbed James and put him in a bear hug. The sudden contact shocked him as he hadn't been hugged since the day his mother walked away from the family "I'm sorry son, I'm sorry you're going through this hell. Who's hurting you here?" Coach Valdez asked as he let go of the teen, James shook his head "Ryan Miller, him and his friends attack me in the hall and I can't do shit since they'd say I was the aggressor." James explained.

"Alright, gimme some time to think of something. Meanwhile, go hit the weights and bulk up some more." Valdez said as he patted the teen on the shoulder, James nodded before he made his way to the weight room to workout. That night, James stayed with his best friend Casey and told him about everything that happened.

"That school is fucked up, they try to pass themselves off as 'tough on bullying' but suddenly become Helen Keller when it comes to doing something about it. Fuck that, I got your back, give me some time to call in some favors and carry this with you when he attacks again." Casey said as he handed the teen a digital voice recorder.

"Another thing, that girl that helped you is Sarah and she's Ryan's girlfriend and she was baiting you. Don't worry, they're all gonna burn. You've stuck up for me plenty of times, it's time I return the favor." Casey said as he bumped fists with James.

Five months had passed since the initial encounter, James had bulked up significantly with the help of Coach Valdez and broke the nose of one of Ryan's goons when they tried to jump the teen; James walked through the hall with a bit more confidence in his step as he made his way to his next class but his path was cut off by Ryan and his thugs "So, you think you can break Brantley's nose a get away with it?" Ryan asked threateningly as James pressed record on the device in his pocket.

"I'm going to beat you so bad, it'll make your dad's beatings look like child's play, nobody likes you and you aren't shit. The APs won't touch me since I'm the school's ticket to the district championship. I mean, look at me; that's why your girlfriend left you for me. I fuck any girl I want and you're just a pathetic loser, I'll do you a favor and end your existence because I'm a nice guy." Ryan said as he put on a pair of brass knuckles, his goons looked at him with a bit of concern "Uh Ryan, this is taking it a bit too far." One of the thugs tried to say. "Shut the fuck up, Bryce! I don't give a fuck what you think." Ryan said before he took off toward James.

James sidestepped the brute and tripped him, Ryan lost his balance and tumbled to the ground but got up immediately, Ryan started to swing wildly at James who bobbed and weaved before he popped him once in the jaw and followed it up with a knee to the gut and an elbow to the back of the head; Ryan dropped to the ground as James grabbed onto Ryan's right arm and jerked it out of socket with a sickening pop, James looked up at Ryan's thugs and watched as they scattered.

Later that day, there was a school assembly that had the entire school in attendance; James sat in the audience next to Casey who had a shit eating grin "What are you gonna do with that recorder anyway?" James asked, Casey shushed him "The shows about to begin." Casey said as the auditorium lights dimmed down and a video was projected on the screen.

The video showed the school's Varsity football team and each of the members, the crowd went wild when 'Ryan Miller, Quarterback' came up, but the video started to act up and the song 'In Too Deep' by Sum 41 started to play as pictures of James's beat up face popped up on the screen followed by a voiceover "Ryan Miller did this to James Murphy, your star quarterback is a monster." A distorted voice said as it played an audio recording.

"Oh, does the little bitch wanna be a soldier? I don't think they allow fags into the military, let alone wastes of space like you. Oh, did your dad beat you up again, he should've just killed you and done us all a favor." The voice recording said, the crowd started to talk among themselves as the slideshow changed to another video of a party where Ryan was having sex with a girl "This was at Conner Hayes's party, that girl is unconscious and for her privacy, we blurred her face. Ryan Miller savagely raped her and got away with it, when she went to the administration about this and the police, the police wanted to investigate it but the school covered it up." The voiceover continued.

The APs frantically tried to shut the video off but were locked out of the AV room "See, it pays to be friends with everyone. The AV club, the goth kids, the nerds, and the misfits." Casey said as cellphone video showed Ryan wailing on James among other students, the video cut again to an interview with Coach Valdez "Hello, I'm Coach Valdez and I'm the weight training coach here at school; James is one of my best students and he's told me about the troubles at home, but when I found out about his problems here at school, I lost it and confronted the football coaches and after threatening legal action, they finally caved and admitted that they were covering up Ryan's actions. In all honesty, I'm disgusted that they would do this and I'm disgusted the school has failed James." Valdez said as the video changed to another set of pictures. "So Ryan, what do you think now? Still think you're untouchable? Have fun in prison." The voiceover said as the auditorium doors flew open and multiple Deputies flooded the auditorium to arrest Ryan along with his goons who were also guilty of sexual assault on other female students.

The crowd booed as Ryan and his goons were led out of the auditorium to awaiting squad cars, a bald man in a suit walked in as the Deputies left and walked up onto the stage "I'm Superintendent Reigns and when my best friend, Luis Valdez, contacted me about a situation at the school and informed me of everything, I was disgusted and got here as soon as I could. Effective immediately, the school's football coaches and the APs involved in this incident are terminated and your teaching licenses are revoked." Reigns said as the crowd was stunned silent.

The assembly was dismissed and school was cancelled for the next few weeks as legal litigation took up the administrators time, the school board was forced to pay out damages for the victims of Ryan and his goons, a ballpark sum of 23.4 Million or 3.9 Million per victim with six victims in total. Ryan's family disowned their son as he was sentenced to 45 years in prison while his goons got 35 years because they ratted on him and told the authorities everything. Ryan's family moved out of Florida and nobody had heard from them since, they dropped off the radar as James was preparing to sue them for damages.

Things at the high school were vastly different from that day forward, the administrators had been replaced with faculty who were far more compassionate and tough on bullies, the victims of Ryan and his goons were given free counseling to help overcome the trauma of the experiences they had to endure, the entire varsity team was put under a microscope to weed out any other would-be bullies who would try to fill the power vacuum left behind. James was looked at in a totally different light from that day forward, from the school weirdo to the victim of domestic violence with no way out, it would be two years before James could escape his father's abuse.

***Present day***

James shuddered at the thought of the life he left behind "Good riddance." James said as Ayumi, Shelyn, and Naomi came out of their room "Ready when you are, sweetie." Ayumi said before she kissed him on the lips, followed by Naomi and Shelyn. James led the girls out of the castle and into the courtyard, they stopped and stared in awe at the massive helicopter that sat silent in front of them "What is this metallic beast?" Naomi asked as she approached it slowly and placed her hand on the side. The other Marines disembarked from the helicopter and greeted the girls "Ladies, this is called the Super Stallion. I used to fly one when I was alive with James." Victoria said as she rubbed the side of the helicopter.

"It flies?" Shelyn asked more boldly than usual, Ramirez nodded "Yeah, it lets us soar through the sky at 196 Miles per hour. And because of the shear firepower she packs, we can help more people throughout the land." Ramirez said as patted the side of the helicopter. "Let's take both into town, we did create it with winches so there's no issue." Pearson said as Fox drove the Humvee out of the shed and parked it behind the helicopter, James nodded and led the girls into the back of the helicopter as Victoria climbed into the cockpit and started up the turbines.

James showed the girls how to strap their harnesses in as Pearson and Ramirez took their positions on the GAU-17s near the front, the rotor started to spin faster and faster before it slowly lifted into the air. The girls jolted a bit as the lift off startled them but James knelt in front of them and reassured them that they were one hundred percent safe, Fox attached the winch hooks to the Humvee's frame before he climbed up a rope ladder that was unrolled out the side of the helicopter. Fox took his place on the rear M2 and readied the HMG as Gunnery Sergeant Murphy gave Lance Corporal Austin the signal to move out.

"Wait, aren't we worried the castle is unguarded?" Naomi asked, but Ramirez laughed a little "We took care of that too, we installed sentry guns on major choke points and enhanced them with long sense, search, and programmed to engage threats if they get too close. Threats like bandits, marauders, and anyone we deem to be our enemy." Ramirez explained, James looked at Ramirez impressed "Wow, you've been busy." James said as he sat down next to Ayumi, Pearson laughed "Well, it's easy when we have a spell literally called 'Refresh.' No need to sleep, but we probably should when we get back." Pearson said as he swept the GAU-17's aim across the plains, searching for any targets.

"Alright, we're here. Touching down now." Victoria said over the Stallion's intercom, the helicopter slowly sat the Humvee down as Fox slid down one of the winch cables and unhooked it from the helicopter. Victoria moved the helicopter to the left of the Humvee and touched down slowly as the wheels extended from the bottom of the helicopter. Everyone disembarked from the helicopter as Fox pulled up in the Humvee, James opened the door and let the girls into the backseat before he turned to face his team.

"Alright! Ramirez, you're with me. Pearson and Austin, y'all stay with the Stallion. Call me if anything comes up." James said before he climbed into the passenger seat and Ramirez got into the gunner's seat, he pulled back the charging handle on the side of the M2 and chambered a .50 Cal BMG round into the receiver from the box magazine, Ramirez looked down at the multiple other 100 round box mags of .50 BMG ammunition by his feet.

"I just realized you put the M2HB on this bitch, my man." Ramirez said as he rubbed the receiver cover, Fox lightly stepped on the accelerator and propelled the Humvee forward and drove into town. Pearson and Austin guarded the helicopter with their M4s in hand, Pearson climbed up onto the top of the helicopter and sat on the rotor cap as he scanned the horizon while Austin walked around the helicopter on patrol. "Hey Austin, what do you think Gunny's plan is? I mean, we've built all this stuff, so I wonder if he's got a plan or something." Pearson said as he watched the horizon, Austin walked around to the right side of the helicopter and looked up at Private Pearson.

"I don't know, Aaron. All I know is, we watched him die back in Raqqa and he was brought back to life here for a reason, and when he had a chance to bring people back to life in this world, he chose the fallen members of the 2nd Battalion. So honestly, I think he just wants to be able to live in peace but... he's been a Marine since he was 18 so maybe he forgot what the meaning of peace is, and all this is so he's comfortable. I mean, you know he never was able to readjust to civilian life, that's why he re-enlisted." Victoria explained as she leaned against the helicopter.

Aaron was silent for a moment "I meant, are we gonna build a base or just an assortment of military vehicles and equipment. Jesus Christ, Austin, I didn't expect a philosophical explanation on his motives." Aaron said as he chuckled to himself. Victoria glared at him before she walked around to the other side of the helicopter; meanwhile, the Humvee drove through the streets of the Alephis Capital City "Hey Kraken, how much land did the King grant you anyway?" Ramirez asked as he rested his arms on the top of the M2HB, James thought for a moment before he shrugged "No idea, but I'll find out. I think it might be a lot." James said as he pulled out his phone and typed into the search engine 'How much land did the Juniper family possess?'

The loading ring circled for a few seconds before a number popped up on the screen "58 MILES BY 32 MILES!? What the fuck, that's 1,856 square miles!? WHO THE HELL WAS JUNIPER?!" James exclaimed, Ramirez nudged James "Remember, he was a dear friend of the King, so the King gave him all that land because he was such a dear friend." Ramirez said as they drove through town. "So that's like slightly smaller than Fort Bliss in Texas." Ramirez said as he broke it down for James. "So, what are you going to do?" Ramirez asked, James thought to himself silently as they rode through town.

"I think you know what I'm thinking, and if I say it, it'll sound just like NATO but... a military base, but not just any military base, it'll be like Fort Bragg. We'll have the military installations, but we'll do something that many in the top brass have wished to perfect, drone warfare. I'm talking drone soldiers, fighter jets, gunships, bombers, and ground artillery, all done by drones." James said as he explained his idea. Ramirez stared at James as if he had grown a second head "And why should we do any of that?" Ramirez asked, trying to understand his battle buddies thought process.

"You know the saying 'There's always a bigger fish.' right? Well, we're gonna be the fucking Megalodon in this world. Hell, the G-Man showed you everything including that glass thing, right? Well, I get a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't the only one of its kind. It ate magic so there would be no way to destroy them unless we had traditional weaponry and explosives." James explained, Ramirez was silent for a moment before he chuckled.

"Surprisingly, your rationale is actually accurate and I'm pretty sure they'd promote you to Lieutenant for that shit." Ramirez said with a chuckle. "So what's the first step?" Fox asked as he slowed down since they had arrived at the market district of Alephis. "First: We'll have to access the data archives of the Pentagon." James said, Fox and Ramirez's head whipped around and looked straight at James "What the fuck did you just say?" Fox asked, James chuckled.

"The G-Man told me that I'd still be able to access information from our world, this means I'll be able to access the classified files from military contractors like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, Bell, General Atomics, and Northrop Grumman. If we get those blueprints, building drones will be a breeze. That's step 1, step 2: turning non-drone powered vehicles into drones via drone interface being directly built into the vehicle itself like B-1 Lancers, AC-130 Spookys, F-22 Raptors, and Gunships. Imagine being able to coordinate a bombing run single handedly while simultaneously being able to assault strategic points from drones thousands of feet in the air." James said as he rambled on with an insane plan.

"What are the other steps?" Fox asked as they sat in the Humvee, James sighed and chuckled lightly to himself "We'll have to launch a satellite, or at least get a low-orbit recon vehicle like a Tarantula Hawk or an Airlander 10, the one the Brits made. Make quite a lot of those and have them fly around the world to provide a detailed cartography of the land as well as where certain things are." James explained, Fox and Ramirez exhaled forcefully as they took everything in.

"With what we're capable of, it shouldn't be an issue. Yeah, we can do this no problem." Fox said as he hyped the other Marines up, the three girls stared at the men utterly confused as to what they were talking about. "So, if we launch a Tarantula Hawk or an Airlander 10, it can act as the satellite relay to control the drones instead of launching and maintaining a satellite." Fox stated as they got out of the vehicle, James nodded as Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn surrounded him. "Yes, but we'll plan more later. Right now, it's time for me to spoil these girls." James said before he led the girls off to go shopping.

Ramirez was about to follow behind them when Fox caught his arm "Hey Ramirez, does Gunny seem a little... off?" Fox asked concerned, Ramirez laughed heartily before he exhaled slowly "Son, you've never met Gunny when he's determined, cause when he's determined, he gets a lot of ideas and a lot of solutions for those ideas, it's actually kinda scary when he suggested tying string to grenade pins and then threading the thread through a metal bat so we could send the grenades flying further than usual.

Needless to say, that idea was shot down." Ramirez explained before he ran to catch up with Gunny. James walked with his arms around Naomi and Shelyn while Ayumi walked in front of the marksman, she popped her hips with every step that seemed deliberate 'God damn it, Victoria!' James mentally yelled as he cursed his squadmate.

As they walked through the upscale market district, the girls couldn't shake the sense that they were being watched; their suspicions were confirmed when they heard the whispering amongst the crowd "Gross, who let THEM in here?" "My word, someone inform their owner the help got out." "Oh my, they think they're people." The voices said, the remarks caused the girls to sink into their shells until James gave them a light squeeze on their shoulders and rested his head on Ayumi's.

The girls perked up and became more cheerful while James gave the crowd a death glare in a manner he reserved for the Taliban. James led the girls into an upscale store that was lined with fancy looking clothes and linens, there was a sweet aroma that wafted through the air and infiltrated their nostrils.

A man came out from behind a curtain and took his place behind the counter "Well hello ladies and gentlemen, how may I be of service?" The man asked, James took a step back and let go of the girls "Ladies, get whatever you like, it's on me." James said as he handed both of the medallions to the man who examined them closely before he guided the girls toward some fine clothing.

"Ladies, these are some of my finest clothing options, they are woven with the finest silk known to exist." The tailor said as he showed them the threads and their exquisiteness. James couldn't help but smile as he watched the girls laugh and smile as they looked at the clothing "You don't have to worry, sir. Nothing's gonna take them from you." Ramirez said as he reassured the Gunnery Sergeant.

While they waited, Fox left to go explore the town while Ramirez hit up the pubs in search of rumors and information about the surrounding countries; James stayed in the store and admired each outfit the girls came out to model and ask for his opinion which was always the same "It looks stunning on you girls." James said wholeheartedly which caused the girls to giggle and blush.

Eventually the girls emerged from the changing room with a dozen outfits each "Alright, I think we're ready." Naomi said as she heaved a stack of clothes onto the counter, James fished out three gold coins and tossed them onto the counter "Will this suffice?" James asked, the man nodded as he slid three silver coins to the Marine who pocketed the change.

James snapped his fingers and caused a Gate to open that led to the insides of the castle, the girls looked at him stunned "Wait, how did you?" Naomi asked, James chuckled as he pulled off his glove and revealed a black ring around his middle finger "I made it in the flurry of things I created." James said as he pulled his glove back on and walked through the Gate with the girls.

The girls walked into the master bedroom and sat their new clothes on the bed "So, where I come from, we have these things called clothes hangers and they're awesome. Modeling." James said as he held a small piece of metal, the metal glowed and turned into a hanger. He grabbed one of the tops and slid the hanger into the neck hole before he hung it up on a rod.

The girls stared in amazement at the innovation they witnessed, James used Copy to make a couple dozen hangers that they used to hang up the new clothing in a cedar wardrobe. James closed the wardrobe after the last hanger and turned around to face the girls who looked lovestruck and longed for his embrace. James took a step forward as they surrounded him and slowly pushed their bodies against his "Please, we want to feel your touch." Ayumi pleaded as her Fuchsia eyes said 'Take me.'

James leaned down and placed a kiss onto their supple lips before he stepped back "Can you wait until tonight, when I'm not in combat mode, but I will satisfy you girls tonight." James said as he wrapped his arms around them and held them closely, Naomi puffed out her cheeks in protest but finally relented "Fine, but I get first go this time." Naomi said before she kissed him on the lips, Ayumi smiled "It doesn't matter who goes first when he's got the stamina of a stallion." Ayumi said before she kissed him on the lips, Shelyn seemed nervous before she kissed him on the lips without a single word of input. "Well, let's get back to the others." James said as he snapped his fingers and opened a Gate back to the shop. James and the girls walked out of the shop as Fox pulled up with the Humvee, the girls climbed into the backseat as James got into the passenger seat.

"What's going on?" James asked as he noted a somewhat tense feeling amongst the Marines. "It's Touya, he's in danger. I got word from a drunk that a group called the 'Steel Fangs' is planning some sort of retaliation for what I can only assume is embarrassing them." Ramirez explained as the Humvee drove through the capital city's streets, Fox ripped the handbrake and drifted around the corner before he shifted gears and hammered it down back to the Super Stallion. "Alright girls, strap in and hold on." James said as the girls boarded the helicopter and strapped into the harnesses.

James snapped his fingers and opened a Gate "Fox, drive the Humvee through and then man the rear gun." James explained before he climbed into the right side door gunner. The Humvee disappeared into the Gate before Fox reappeared as the Gate closed, he climbed into the helicopter and manned the M2HB in the rear as Ramirez manned the left side door gunner.

The turbines slowly powered on as the rotors slowly spun up before the helicopter slowly lifted into the sky, James pulled out his phone and searched 'Touya Mochizuki', a single blip popped up on the map and indicated Touya's location "He's south of here, about 10 miles." James said before the Super Stallion changed directions and flew south of the capital city, the helicopter roared over the treeline and circled around as a large group of armed men surrounded three people.

The roar of the helicopter scared the mob as they saw the Super Stallion hovering in the sky, some of the goons ran as the helicopter started to circle the area before it touched down in a clearing across from Touya; the Marines stormed from the rear of the helicopter with their weapons raised as they yelled various commands "Step back! Get back! Disperse! Disperse!" The Marines yelled collectively.

"Who the hell are you? What are you gonna do, huh? Little bitch." The largest man said as he stepped toward the Marine sniper, James stepped forward and slammed the butt of the rifle into the man's head before he cracked it across his face and fired a round into a nearby tree, the rifle's report echoed through the forest and shook the bandits to their core while it startled James's girls along with Yae and Yumina. "The next one goes in your head." James said as he pressed the barrel of the Scar-H into the bandit's head, the man slashed at the Marine as his goons raised their weapons.

James sighed "I wish you didn't do that." James said before the Marines switched to paralysis rounds, something Fox had created overnight which were rubber bullets that paralyzed the target on contact. The assailants sprinted toward the Marines before they were swiftly gunned down, their bodies slammed to the ground with a flurry of gunfire, the lead assailant was confused and bewildered as James approached him "Who the hell are you?!" The man yelled as he drew his sword back, James raised his MR412 REX and cocked the hammer back "The Warlords." James said before he squeezed the trigger and dropped the man to the ground with a single paralyzing shot.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Touya asked in an angry tone as he approached the Marines, James chuckled "Saving your ass, you're welcome." James said as he reloaded his weapons with regular ammo, Touya shook his head "I don't need your help, I can handle myself just fine. I'm sure there's plenty of sources of Oil that need liberating, that's what your good at anyway." Touya said as he turned away from the Marine, Pearson clinched his fist as the Gunny turned around "You heard guys, let's head back to base." James said before the Marines started to walk toward the helicopter.

"James!" A small female voice called out that caught his attention, he turned around to see Yumina running up to him "Thank you for saving us, it means a lot that you came to help us." Yumina said with a smile that could melt an iceberg.

"No problem, Princess." James said as he bowed his head, Yumina giggled as she touched his shoulder "Please, rise." Yumina said before James stood up and towered over her. "I'm thankful that we can call on you as an ally and a friend." Yumina said before she curtsied in a regal manner. "If you ever need us, you can find us 32 miles outside Alephis." James said as he extended an olive branch to Touya's group.

"I had a question, what is that metal beast?" Yumina asked as she gestured to the Super Stallion. "Oh, that's called a Helicopter, they're common where I come from. This one is called a Super Stallion, it's used by the Marines, the elite group of soldiers that we're apart of." James said as he gestured to the other Marines.

The Marines of the 2nd Battalion clicked their boots together before they saluted the princess in unison "Uh, that's our formal salute to other members of the military or persons of power like kings, queens, princes, and princesses." James explained as he signaled them 'At ease', he looked up at the sky and saw the sun was a little bit past afternoon "Ah well, we gotta get going. Warlords, we're rolling out." James said as he signaled them back to the helicopter, Yumina thanked him one last time before she walked back to Touya's group. James boarded the Helicopter with Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn, he sat down in-between the girls as the turbines slowly started to speed up and the propellers started to spin up, the Super Stallion slowly lifted into the air before it circled around the forest and flew off toward the castle.

"Jesus Christ, what an asshole!" Pearson said as he manned the left GAU-17, James shook his head as he had his arms around Ayumi and Naomi "Just let it go, I think he saw it as us trying to flex our muscles since I guess he wanted to try to solve the problem with little violence and that's all we know." James said as he rested his head against the walls of the helicopter. The Super Stallion roared through the air as it made its way back to the castle, as they flew through the air, they saw what looked like a raging fire off in the distance "Austin, bank left 11 o'clock." James said as he grabbed the girls and held them close as the helicopter turned sharply and flew off toward the fire.

As they closed in, James pulled out his phone and activated the map feature that he enchanted with Long Sense, multiple red dots popped up on the screen as they got closer. James held his hand over his phone "Program start/condition: a target on screen is touched/action: use [Multiple] on all touched targets/program end." James said before he touched all the red blips on his phone "Come forth light, small illumination, Light." James said before little balls of light formed over the head of every target "Happy huntin', boys." James said before the GAU-17's spun up and rained hot lead down at the illuminated targets. Bandits were ripped to shreds as the gunfire rained down from the Super Stallion that circled the village, sporadic gunfire from the M2HB in the rear rang out with thunderous booms.

One by one, the targets were eliminated as the red blips disappeared from the screen; a bandit raised his sword to strike down a villager but was ripped to shreds. His mutilated body slammed to the ground with a wet, meaty slap as the villager scurried away for safety as the Super Stallion circled around and flew up the middle of the village where a large group of bandits were held up "Fox one." Austin said before she squeezed the trigger on the joystick, a single missile erupted from the missile pod and screamed through the air before it impacted the group with a thunderous and fiery explosion that ripped them apart. The helicopter came to a stop as a repel rope dropped out the back "Alright ladies, I gotta get to work." James said before walked over to the rope and slid down, he raised his rifle the moment he touched down as Ramirez and Fox followed behind him.

The three Marines moved into the village and took out bandit after bandit with lethal accuracy, three bandits charged at the Marines with axes and swords in hand but were cut down swiftly. Their bodies hit the ground as blood covered the green grass, the Marines moved from house to house securing and eliminating the stragglers, the ones who ran were quickly cut down by the Super Stallion.

The Marines looked around as they stood back to back, the noise died down as the villagers came out from hiding "Is... Is it over? Are they gone?" A female villager asked, her voice shaky with fear "Yes, they're gone." James said as he addressed the masses that came out from hiding.

A lone man approached the Gunnery Sergeant who stood tall and strong "What's your name? Who are you?" The man asked, James cleared his throat as he placed his rifle onto his back "My name is Gunnery Sergeant James Murphy, Gunnery Sergeant is my rank. We're the Marines, we're elite soldiers from a distant land." James said as he introduced himself to the man. "Ah well, my name is Aurelio Luca, I'm the mayor of this small village. I wanna thank you for saving us in your flying beast, we don't have much to compensate you with." The mayor said.

James held his hand up and stopped him from speaking "No compensation needed, I'm the new owner of the Juniper castle and it's land so consider yourself under my protection." James said as he extended his gloved hand to the mayor, the mayor shook his hand happily "Yes sir, we won't let you down. This is Faybell, it's about 4 miles south of Jade Falls which is behind the Juniper Castle er... your castle." The Mayor explained as more villagers came out from hiding.

James looked around and saw they were mostly demi-humans "Say mayor, is this a demi-human village?" James asked, the mayor seemed to get defensive at the question "Yes... is that gonna be a problem?" The mayor asked, James chuckled "Certainly not, my three companions... er... lovers are demi-humans. I was wondering if you might have a problem with bigots and possibly people who wish to enslave demi-humans." James said as he looked around at some of the attractive female demi-humans who seemed scared and standoffish. "Oh, you mean slavers from Sandora, they've tried to raid us in the past but we hide the women and children from the slavers." The mayor explained, something the mayor said seemed to peak James's 'hol up' meter.

"Hold on, Mayor. What was that you said about a nation...? A nation of Slavers?" James asked as the Super Stallion landed near the entrance; Austin, Pearson, Ayumi, Shelyn, and Naomi joined them shortly after the helicopter landed. Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn made their way for James's arms to be in his embrace. "Yes, the Kingdom of Sandora is the only kingdom where slavery is legal." The mayor said, Ayumi and Naomi seemed to look down for a moment which James saw out of the corner of his eye.

"What's wrong girls?" James asked, Naomi seemed hesitant for a moment until Shelyn rubbed her arm while James rubbed her shoulder. "The people that enslaved us... were from Sandora and that's where that man bought us, before you rescued us from what we thought would be our grave." Naomi said gratefully before she stood on her tip toes and kissed the Marine.

"Mayor, can you show me on this map where Sandora is?" James asked as he pulled up a map of the continent on his phone "My word, a magic item, incredible. Uhh, sorry. Yes, Sandora is to the south of the Kingdom of Belfast, the Sea of Trees is in between Sandora and the Kingdom of Mismede." The Mayor explained as he pointed to Sandora on James's phone.

James turned to the Marines "Alright, let's head home." James said before they said their goodbyes and made their way to the helicopter. Ramirez sat across from James who seemed to be deep in thought as the Super Stallion took off into the sky "Penny for your thoughts?" Ramirez asked as he crossed his arms, James shook his head as Naomi and Ayumi rested against his body while Shelyn sat in his lap and rested against his chest plate.

"It's about Sandora, you know what we have to do cause if we don't, who will." James said as he pondered his decision. "I know what we do, insertion in the cover of darkness. Take out slavers and evacuate the enslaved people before we raze it to the ground, and I mean RAZE IT. Bombing runs, drone strikes, artillery barrages, and Battery salvos while we clean up stragglers with the Stallion. Afterwards, we hit it with a few tomahawks and hellfire missiles, we do that for all of Sandora. We'll have to act fast because word might get to other towns and we don't need that happening." Ramirez explained, James was dumbfounded "My god, that's brilliant." James said as he praised Sergeant Ramirez.

"This won't be easy, we'll need resources and we'll have to work around the clock to get things built like a runway for the drones, silos for the cruise missiles and possible an enchanted Minuteman III ICBM, Tanks, IFVs, and UCAVs." James explained as the helicopter touched down in the courtyard, Ramirez nodded as he took in everything the Gunnery Sergeant said. "Yes sir, we'll get started right away." Fox said as he saluted the Gunnery Sergeant, followed by Pearson, Ramirez, and Austin.

As they disembarked from the helicopter, the sound of demonic growling could be heard from outside of the castle walls "Defensive positions! Go!" James said before everyone ran off in different directions while Victoria ushered the girls into the castle for safety. James sprinted up the stairs and manned the mounted M134 as the flood lights kicked on and illuminated the plains, Fox and Pearson manned the M777 and dialed in the range before they loaded an 155mm shell. "Cerberus, who is it?" James asked before the hellhound walked out lowered its head and growled at a small group of men on horses.

"Who the fuck are you? What do you want?" James yelled, a lone man with long blonde hair and face you could punch got off his horse, the man slowly walked forward before a sniper shot hit the ground in front of him "That's far enough! The next one goes through your head." Ramirez yelled as a .50 cal casing ejected from an M107, he closed one eye and trained the sight onto the man's head.

The man raised his hands "Easy, I know not what magic items you possess, but I do know you have my property." The man said with a smug grin. "We don't have any of your shit, this is our castle and our land!" James yelled, the man chuckled "I refer not to the castle or the land, but to the girls you took from the fort where my associates were holding them until I could come reclaim them. I would like them back." The man said, referring to Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn.

James was silent for a moment as the man put his hands down "Alright men, he's made his decision. Go and get them, have a little fun with them if you want." The slaver said as his goons started to laugh, James looked back as Fox shot him a thumbs up "Nah, I wasn't deciding anything... I was stalling." James said which caught the slaver off guard as a thunderous explosion erupted from the courtyard, a loud whistling noise screamed through the air as a 155mm artillery shell arched and impacted the ground where the slaver's men were.

The slaver's forces were reduced to chunks and bits of human remains, the slaver looked back stunned before the barrel of the M107 erupted with fire and smoke. A .50 cal round screamed from the barrel and ripped the man's head off with devastating results, blood sprayed everywhere as his body dropped to the ground like a sack of bricks.

"Cerberus! Eat up!" James yelled before the hellhound rushed in and started to devour the human remains with all three heads, James flipped off the floodlight and walked down the stairs as Fox ejected the spent shell and closed the breach. "Come to my F.O.B. and demand my companions? You signed your own death certificate." James said as he crossed his arms and tapped his foot in anger, Ramirez walked up next to him while Pearson lowered the barrel of the M777. "Whatcha thinking, Gunny?" Fox asked as he held his rifle.

James clenched his fists and growled in anger "I want to know how they found them? Who tipped them off." James said before he dismissed Fox and Pearson to go hunt for stragglers. James leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, the air was silent and still before the unmistakable sound of gunfire rang out from the field. Fox and Pearson returned minutes later "Three stragglers, one lost a leg in the explosion and was blown into the tall grass while the other two were shell shocked. We put 'em down and let Cerberus have 'em, they won't be reporting to anybody." Fox said with a chuckle as they walked into the barracks section of the castle. James walked into the castle, he unfastened his molle vest and exhaled a sigh of relief as he pulled it off, the Marine draped his vest across a chair as he untied his boots and pulled off.

James knocked on his door before he opened it "Hey, it's all cl-" James started to say before he found himself staring down the barrel of an M9, Victoria quickly holstered her sidearm before she apologized profusely "Oh shit, sorry sir! Uhh... the rooms all yours." Victoria said before she left the room with her rifle in hand.

James walked in and closed the door behind him, James exhaled slowly as he looked at the girls who looked both nervous and scared "Y-your not gonna... gonna turn us over to him, right?" Shelyn asked nervously, James was shocked by her words "What? God no. Yeah, he's fucking dead. I came in here to let you know, that we're about to go to war with Sandora. Showing up at my castle and demanding my companions, well that's a declaration of war and if they want war, they'll get it." James said as he sat down on the bed, the girls moved next to him to comfort the Marine.

"I want you girls to know that I will do everything in my power to rescue and liberate the enslaved people, and I will decimate the oppressors with an iron fist." James explained as the inner warlord came out of him.

"If there's anyone you want me to be on the look out for, let me know." James said as he laid back into Ayumi's lap and looked up into her Fuchsia eyes "God your eyes are so beautiful." James said out loud which caused the blonde katsune to blush before she leaned down and kissed him on the lips. "Uhm, I have a sister who was enslaved as well but we got separated." Naomi said as she laid her head on his chest, he wrapped his arm around her and gestured for Shelyn to join them.

"So, y'all aren't sisters after all." James said as he finally deduced the scenario, Ayumi giggled as she ran her fingers through his hair "No, we're not sisters. The man who bought us, bought us together since we were inseparable. It was the nicest thing to happen to us, I remember he was saying that he was taking us to Belfast to let us be free, but I guess someone caught word of it and sent slavers to bring us back." Naomi explained, James exhaled slowly before he opened his eyes "Girls, I just want you to know... in the coming months, when this Sandora thing gets into full swing, you're gonna see a side of me that will scare you. I just want you to know, I will never hurt you and I will never abandon you, ever. You're gonna see my Marine side come out in full force, and it's... it's not pretty, so please... please don't be scared or intimidated." James said as he told them the truth.

"The people your going against have ripped families apart, torn children from mothers and raped mothers and daughters in front of their families for fun. Please don't go easy on them." Shelyn said which surprised everyone. "Well, I'm gonna grab a shower... if you girls wanna join me." James said as he got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. "We thought you'd never ask." Naomi said as the three girls followed him into the bathroom and closed the door behind them.

**A/N: Chapter 4 is done and in the bag, I wrote this mostly at work so if it seems a bit rushed in some parts, I do apologize. I'm surprised at the reception of this fic, I'm glad everyone likes it and I look forward to continuing this story, I know this might be one of the shortest of all the chapters, but I had to write what I could before having to get back to work. Remember to Favorite, Follow, & Review, and as always, this is Nightmare 6-4, signing off.**

**Secondary A/N: How hyped are y'all that the Marines are about to declare war on Sandora and bring out the M1A2 Freebrams MBT? Y'all think James should have his own harem, that Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn get to share him with other girls? Let me know what y'all think. **


	5. Chapter 5: Diplomatic Envoy

Ch. 5 – Diplomatic Envoy

**In Another World with My Smartphone is owned by AT-X, Tokyo MX, and BS11, I only own the OCs. Oorah!**

James slowly opened his eyes and found his arms wrapped around Ayumi and Naomi, he looked around for Shelyn but didn't see her until he felt something move from beneath the sheets, he peaked under the sheets and saw a pair of violet colored eyes looking back at him "Good morning." Shelyn said lightly as she gently caressed his Johnsonville sausage, James sucked in air through his teeth in an effort to not wake Ayumi or Naomi, but his efforts became useless when he felt something wet surround him.

James tightened his grip on Ayumi and Naomi's waist as Shelyn went to town, the sudden contact caused both girls to moan in ecstasy as they pushed their naked bodies into his, Naomi's breasts pushed into his chest as her Amber eyes slowly opened. "Mmmm, my favorite way to wake up." Naomi said as she pressed her lips into his, Ayumi reached over and caressed Naomi's breasts; Naomi arched her back as she forced her tongue into James's mouth.

Shelyn lifted her head up with an audible pop as Ayumi moved to take her place, Naomi moved and straddled his chest before she pressed her lips into his again. Naomi moved her lips down as she kissed his chest, Shelyn moved over and pressed her lips into his; James's hands explored their bodies slowly, starting at their breasts and making his way down to their quivering cores.

Naomi took a deep breath in as his hand caressed her hot nova, she shuddered as a finger slipped inside of her and began to move like a piston on an oil rig. Naomi's breathing increased as he moved his fingers inside of her core, she reached down and tapped on Ayumi's shoulder to swap out. Ayumi pulled away slowly before Naomi quickly devoured him, her head bobbed up and down as she focused on his rod; James felt her tighten around his fingers as the fingers on his other hand found Shelyn's center. The wolf girl's moans were silenced my James's mouth as she continued to kiss him passionately, James pulled his digits from Naomi's radiating core and held his fingers up as the glistening liquid dripped down her core. Ayumi grabbed Naomi's ass before she started to lap away at her nectar, Naomi's moaning caused vibrating around his rod.

Naomi slowly lifted her head off him with an audible pop before she positioned herself over him and slowly sunk down on his love rod, the catgirl let out an audible gasp as her core took all of him. She slowly moved her body up and down, the motion caused her to moan in ecstasy; Ayumi straddled his chest and pushed her juicy core into his awaiting tongue, Ayumi sat up and pressed her lips into Naomi's while she played with the catgirl's breasts.

Shelyn's hand drifted south and started to play with her velvet nectar while his fingers moved inside of her hot core. Naomi's body shuddered as ecstasy crashed through her body like a tsunami, her core tightened around him as she reached her peak; she slowly removed herself from his rod before Ayumi impaled herself on his python.

Ayumi began to move up and down while she held onto his thighs for support, her breasts bounced with each movement; Shelyn removed herself from his hand and straddled his chest, Naomi panted next to him as he devoured Shelyn's wet core. Naomi watched intensely as she played with herself slowly, the previous orgasm still shook through her body.

James slowly moved Ayumi off of him while Shelyn slid to his left side, he sat up on his knees while Ayumi laid on her back; the blonde kitsune took a deep breath in as he entered her again and started to slowly thrust into her. James slowly picked up speed while he held her waist, Shelyn moved her body and laid against Ayumi, their breasts pressed together as James thrusted into Ayumi's soaked core. He slowly pulled out before he pushed himself into Shelyn's hot nova, the wolf girl gasped as he held her waist and thrusted into her velvet.

Shelyn pressed her lips into Ayumi's as ecstasy and pleasure filled her body, her moans were muffled by Ayumi's supple lips; James gritted his teeth as he picked up the pace of his thrusts, James felt Shelyn tighten around him as an orgasm wrecked through her like a monsoon of ecstasy.

He slowly pulled himself from the wolf girl's nova, Naomi sat up and devoured his member quickly; her head bobbed up and down before she pulled it from her mouth and guided it back into Ayumi's hot center. Ayumi moaned loudly as he started to thrust like a jackhammer, her breathing started to increase wildly as she pulled him down into her embrace; she held him close as she hit her climax, her hot core tightened around him as she pressed her lips into his.

James stopped thrusting to let her regain her composure as he sat up, he slowly began to thrust into her with ease as her breathing returned to normal. He leaned back down as he thrusted into her and started to kiss the side of her neck, Ayumi arched her back and pushed her breasts into his chest as he found her weak spot.

Naomi and Shelyn stared in awe as each touch made Ayumi move as if she were possessed and he was exorcising the spirit, Ayumi dug her nails into his back as he picked up the pace. Her nails dug into his skin as she moaned and squealed in ecstasy, his left hand moved upward and caressed her breast as he hammered her core.

"Oh fuck baby! I'm about to cum!" Ayumi said through her moans, James sat up and turned his piston movement into a jackhammer and destroyed her concrete. Ayumi screamed out in ecstasy as her walls clamped around him, James freed himself from her nova before he exploded onto her chest and breasts.

Shelyn quickly devoured his rod and lapped off the man milk that leaked from his rod, Naomi licked some off Ayumi's breasts before she kissed the blonde kitsune. Ayumi panted heavily as Shelyn removed James's member from her mouth and let Naomi have it while she laid next to Ayumi.

The blonde kitsune wiped up some of his goop with her fingers and licked it off before she swallowed with an audible gulp, Naomi's head bobbed up and down rapidly before she stopped as James grunted; he gritted his teeth as his python erupted and filled Naomi's mouth, the catgirl swallowed gulp after gulp until it stopped flowing.

James felt his knees give out as Naomi removed him from her mouth, he collapsed onto the bed and panted heavily as he stared at the ceiling "James! Are you alright?" Shelyn asked as she moved to his side, Ayumi slid over as James moved to lay against the pillows.

"Yeah girls, sorry to scare you. Naomi sucked the soul out of me so… I'm gonna need a minute before I can go again." James said, Naomi straddled his waist while Ayumi and Shelyn were by his sides. Naomi laid down on his chest and stared into his blue eyes as her tail swished in the air, he stared into her amber eyes before he kissed her on the lips.

Shelyn reached down toward the end of the bed and pulled the comforter over them as they got comfortable again. "Did Victoria teach you to say that?" James asked as he turned his head toward Ayumi, Ayumi giggled "Yeah, she taught us a lot of phrases and what cum was." Ayumi said before she kissed the Marine.

***Meanwhile, outside***

The other Marines were in their barracks getting their gear together, Austin stood up and fastened her molle vest before she filled the pockets of the vest with M4 magazines and M9 magazines, she holstered her sidearm and clicked the strap closed before she made her way out to the courtyard.

Pearson stood on the wall and scanned the horizon while Cerberus sat by the main door, all three heads looked vigilant as they scanned for potential enemies/food. "Whaddya see, Pearson?" Austin asked as she inspected the Super Stallion. "Man, I don't see shit!" Pearson exclaimed as he looked through a pair of binoculars.

Austin shrugged as she wiped down the control panel and the front window of the helicopter, Fox and Ramirez joined them in the courtyard; Fox went to work on the Humvee while Ramirez took inventory of their weapons and ammunition. "Uhh guys! I got something!" Pearson exclaimed, the Marines dropped what they were doing and grabbed their weapons from the armory Fox had built.

Ramirez sprinted up the stairs and deployed the bipod on the M107 while Austin knelt with her arm on the wall, she closed one eye as she looked through the ACOG sight, Fox manned the M134 and pointed the barrel at a dust cloud in the distance.

The Marines watched as the dust cloud neared, multiple men on horseback arrived outside the castle; Cerberus growled as he stood up and slowly stepped toward the strange people. "What do you want?" Ramirez yelled, a man on the lead horse stepped off and slowly approached the castle while Cerberus watched him closely.

"Uhm, I-I come as a representative of Princess Yumina Ernea Belfast, she has requested the presence of one James Murphy, is that you?" The man asked, Ramirez chuckled "No, he's inside. What does she request him for?" Ramirez asked, the man scanned the letter before he looked up "She didn't specify, just that it was about an envoy to the Kingdom of Mismede." The man explained.

"Diplomatic Escort. Classic, I'll go get him." Austin said as she stood up and made her way into the castle. Victoria walked through the corridor and picked up his molle vest on her way to his room, she stopped at his door and knocked twice "Excuse me, sir. There's someone out here to see you." Victoria said before she stepped back from the door.

***Back inside the room***

James sighed as Naomi moved off him to let him up, James pulled on his clothes and zipped up his BDUs; James opened his door and stepped out to the main hall "What's up?" James asked as he closed the door behind him. "Yumina is requesting our assistance on a convoy escort to Mismede." Victoria explained as he pulled on his molle vest and strapped it in place.

"How far along are we until we have an MBT up and running?" James asked as they rounded the corner while Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn followed behind them now clothed. "We're almost ready, we got it designed so that it only needs one person and not four." Victoria explained as they stepped outside.

James looked to the left and saw the materials set out to build an M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank, James walked down the stairs and out to the plains where the men on horses were "I'm Gunnery Sergeant James Murphy, what can I do for you?" James asked as he patted Cerberus on the side. Cerberus backed up and sat down by the castle wall.

The man approached James and handed him a letter "Princess Yumina has requested your help as an envoy to the Kingdom of Mismede." The man said as James read the letter, the marksman nodded as he dismissed the servant; James walked back into the castle and closed the door behind him. Ramirez stood up and folded the bipod before he pulled back the charging bolt, ejected the chambered round, and removed the magazine from the sniper rifle.

"Alright Marines! We're loading up! We're moving out at 1200 hours, it's 0900 hours now so we should get that Abrams built." James said, Ramirez nodded while the others moved to the sides of the supplies. James, Fox, Pearson, and Ramirez surrounded the supplies before they held their hands out.

"Alright everyone, get the mental picture of the M1A2." James said as he typed on his phone and pulled up a blueprint of an M1A2 Abrams and passed it around so everyone could get a mental image. "Alright, got it." Ramirez said as he held his hands up, the Marines held their hands up and closed their eyes "Modeling." The Marines said simultaneously, the materials glowed before they molded into a massive M1A2 Abrams.

The tank formed completely with tracks and a mounted machine gun, a coaxial 12.7mm heavy machine gun, and 120mm L/44 Smoothbore cannon. James climbed up onto the main chassis of the tank and modeled the rifling of the cannon, he looked down the barrel and examined the rifling before he hoped down off the tank.

He walked up to box of metal and used modeling to turn it into an AGT-1500, he held his hands over the turbine and used Program to power the engine via magic. "Gravity." James said before he lifted the engine and carried it to the back of the tank before he lowered it into the tank's engine compartment.

Pearson lowered himself down into the engine compartment and connected the wires to the main chassis, Ramirez climbed down into the tank through the turret and sat down in the driver seat; he gripped the steering wheel and tested the pedal pressure before he checked the turret control stick to his right.

Ramirez primed the engine before he pressed the ignition, the tank rumbled to life and idled slowly; Ramirez pushed the handle forward to cause the tank's turbine engine to power up. He moved the joystick and caused the turret to turn, he pulled back and caused the barrel to raise before he lowered it again.

The Marines backed up before Ramirez pressed the pedal and caused the tank to move forward, the tracks dug into the ground as the tank moved into the sunlight. Ramirez turned the steering wheel and caused the tank to turn to the right then back to the left, James climbed up onto the front of the tank and peaked through the window slot; Ramirez shot him a thumbs up.

"Hey Ramirez, open the ammo slot and use the spell Program on the compartment, program it with Copy to have it make a copy of the round that is removed from the compartment." James explained, Ramirez nodded before he enchanted the ammo slots.

Ramirez held his hands up toward the slots before he closed his eyes "Enchant: Program start/condition: a shell is removed/action: Use [Copy] to create a second round and fill the open slot/program end." Ramirez said as he enchanted the ammo rack.

Fox used modeling to create five 120mm HEAT rounds, he passed them to James who lowered them down to Ramirez. Ramirez loaded the rounds into the rack before he pulled one out, Ramirez watched as a new shell formed in the open slot; he carefully read the bottom of the new shell and saw that it read '120mm HEAT'. "Dude it worked!" Ramirez exclaimed, James chuckled before he instructed Fox to make five Sabot rounds, five HE rounds, and five canister rounds.

Fox nodded before he immediately got to work building the rounds, James climbed up onto the other side of the tank and eyed the side of the barrel "What's up, Gunny?" Ramirez asked as he popped out of the roof of the turret, James chuckled before he turned to his battle buddy "Thinking of a name for her." James said as he hopped off the tank.

He walked into the workshop and found some oil that he used modeling on to turn into black paint, he ran back to the tank and climbed up onto the chassis before he focused on the long barrel. He held the paint in one hand and held his other hand over the barrel "Modeling." James said as the paint began to glow, the black paint disappeared from his hand as a name in black formed on the barrel.

James leaped off the tank and stepped back as he admired the words 'Crowd Control' that ran along the barrel "B-E-A-UTIFUL." James said before he ran his hand along the composite armor plating on the side. "Alright, the rounds are loaded and ready to go. Coaxial and roof gunner are loaded as well." Ramirez said before he climbed out of the tank. "Pearson, you're up! All yours." James called out to the Private. Pearson rounded the corner and climbed onto the tank, the Private quickly did a once over before he climbed into the tank and closed the hatch behind him.

"Alright, we're looking good. Fox, your door gunner with Austin, Ramirez is with me. Girls, you wanna go to Mismede?" James asked which caused them to perk up before they ran into the castle. Lance Corporal Austin ran to the Super Stallion and fired up the turbine engine while Fox climbed into the right door gun, Ramirez loaded their weapons into the back of the Humvee before he climbed into the gunner seat.

James got into the Humvee and started the engine up as the girls returned wearing some of the clothes he bought for them, Ayumi wore a beautiful emerald green outfit that caused her fuchsia eyes to pop along with a silver necklace that had an emerald pendent. Naomi wore a black outfit that accented her amber eyes, she had golden earrings that little golden hearts that dangled from her ears as well as a golden ring in her right cat ear, Shelyn wore a yellow and black outfit that seemed to bring out her violet colored eyes.

Ramirez hopped out of the Humvee and ran to open the front gate, the Humvee slowly pulled out into the wide open plains followed by the M1A2 Abrams that pull out to the right; Ramirez closed the gate door and climbed back into the gunner's seat as the Super Stallion took off into the sky.

James pressed a button on the side of his throat "Comms check, how copy?" James asked, the feed buzzed before everyone responded with a '10-4, read you 5 by 5.' James pressed the accelerator and drove the Humvee onto the dirt road with the Abrams following behind them, the Marines moved in a makeshift convoy toward the destination indicated by Yumina.

James turned down a dirt road and drove down the path until they came to a clearing that had multiple horses and wagons with both humans and demi-humans conversing together, James could make out Touya's white coat in the crowd of people as well as Yumina who was talking to Yae and Linze.

James looked back but didn't see Pearson, suddenly the sound of trees snapping echoed through the clearing as the Abrams erupted through the tree line, twigs and branches hung off the sides of the tank as it pulled alongside the Humvee. The Super Stallion circled overhead before it landed off in the distance, away from the trees.

Both humans and demi-humans were petrified at the sight of the metallic beasts that sat before them, James climbed out of the Humvee and approached the crowd of people "Fear not, I come as an ally." James said as he tried to ease the tension of the crowd. "How did you find out about this?" Touya asked standoffishly as he approached the marksman, Yumina moved in front of him and stopped Touya "Stop, I asked him to come. We could use their help." Yumina said as she pleaded with the teen in the white coat.

"We're here to escort you to Mismede as requested by Yumina, Private Aaron Pearson will take up the lead followed by three carriages, myself and Sergeant Ramirez will take the middle while the rest follow behind. Lance Corporal Victoria Austin will follow overhead with Corporal Noah Fox." James explained as he named the Marines with him and pointed to their vehicles.

"I am Gunnery Sergeant James 'Kraken' Murphy, leader of the 2nd Battalion known as The Warlords." James said as he introduced himself. A man with brown hair and wolf ears approached the Marine "I am Garn, leader of the Mismedian Guard Unit." The beastman said before an armor-clad man with blonde hair stepped forward.

"I'm the leader of the Kingdom of Belfast's First Order Knights, Lyon Blitz at your service." The blonde man said as he placed a hand on his chest. Yumina leaned over and whispered something to Touya while James assessed the Mismedian and Belfast forces, James looked up in time to see a young girl with fox ears and a fluffy tail running toward him "James!" The young girl exclaimed.

James knelt to the ground and ruffled her hair "Hey there Arma, it's good to see you again." James said as he greeted the young demi-human. Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn walked up behind him as he stood up, Arma's eyes lit up when she saw James's companions "Oh wow! You're all so beautiful!" Arma said as she complimented the girls.

Naomi knelt in front of Arma "Aww, you're such a cutie! Thank you, sweetheart." Naomi said as she patted the young demi-human on the head. "Shall we depart now?" Olga asked as she addressed the Marines, Touya, and the guards. "Yeah, let's get rolling. I wanna give everyone a fair warning, our weapons are loud, so if we get attacked, cover your ears." James said as he slapped the side of the Humvee.

Pearson climbed back into the Abrams and started up the MBT, the engine roared to life and rumbled with the fury of a stampede; the crowd watched as the tank slowly crept forward and moved into position. "What does it do anyway?" Garn asked as he stood next to James, the Gunny chuckled as he pressed the comms button on his throat "Pearson, load one HE shell and target the large tree at your 3 o'clock." James said.

"Roger. Standby." Pearson said, moments later they watched as the tank's turret turned to the right, it was silent for a few seconds before the barrel erupted with a thunderous explosion that shook the ground they stood on, the shell impacted the tree and completely eviscerated it. Chunks of smoldering wood rained down onto the charred stump that was all that remained of the tree "By the gods! What kind of beast is this?!" Garn said in a combination of amazement and fear.

"It's called a Tank, we have them back where I come from. They're a powerhouse of destruction." James said as the turret returned to 12 o'clock. "Well, I sure am glad you're on our side." Garn said as he chuckled nervously. James walked back to the Humvee as the Super Stallion lifted into the air and hovered overhead, the Humvee rumbled to life as the last door closed.

"Alright Pearson, take us to Mismede." James said into the Humvee's CB radio, the Abrams slowly pulled forward and onto the road before him, the convoy got on road and were on their way to Mismede in no time. "Ramirez, keep your head on swivel, we're transporting some very important assets." James said as he pressed the button on his throat.

"Oh god I hate these long hauls." Ramirez said as he leaned back against the gunner seat. "Want me to put some music on?" James asked as they followed the carriages. Ramirez chuckled as he sat up "You know me well, don't you?" Ramirez said as he straightened up his posture. "Well, the good thing about having my phone is I can get all the music we used to have." James said as he plugged his phone into the Humvee's stereo.

**Down with the Sickness – Disturbed**

The sound of toms rang through the Humvee as James and Ramirez nodded their head to the beat.

**Can you feel that?**

**Ah, shit!**

"You ready, Ramirez?" James asked as a grin grew across his face, Ramirez chuckled "Always, Gunny." Ramirez said as he tightened his grip on the M2HB's handles.

**Oh, wah-ah-ah-ah!**

Heavy metal riffs rang through as James and Ramirez banged their heads along with the music.

**Oh, wah-ah-ah-ah!**

**Oh, oh! Oh, oh!**

**Oh, oh!**

**Drowning deep in my sea of loathing**

**Broken, your servant, I kneel (Will you give in to me?)**

**It seems what's left of my human side**

**Is slowly changing in me (Will you give in to me?)**

**Looking at my own reflection**

**When suddenly it changes, violently it changes**

**Oh no, there is no turning back now**

**You've woken up the demon in me.**

James and Ramirez sang along with the song in perfect timing, it was almost scary "We listened to these guys all the time back where we come from." James explained as the chorus started up.

**Get up, come on, get down with the sickness**

**Get up, come on, get down with the sickness**

**Get up, come on, get down with the sickness**

**Open up your hate and let it flow into me**

**Get up, come on, get down with the sickness**

**You mother, get up, come on, get down with the sickness**

**You fucker, get up, come on, get down with the sickness**

**Madness is the gift that has been given to me**

James banged his thumbs against the steering wheel as he kept tempo with the drums.

**I can see inside you, the sickness is rising**

**Don't try to deny what you feel (Will you give in to me?)**

**It seems that all that was good has died**

**And is decaying in me (Will you give in to me?)**

**It seems you're having some trouble**

**In dealing with these changes, living with these changes**

**Oh no, the world is a scary place**

**Now that you've woken up the demon in me**

**Get up, come on, get down with the sickness**

**Get up, come on, get down with the sickness**

**Get up, come on, get down with the sickness**

**Open up your hate and let it flow into me**

**Get up, come on, get down with the sickness**

**You mother, get up, come on, get down with the sickness**

**You fucker, get up, come on, get down with the sickness**

**Madness is the gift that has been given to me**

As the breakdown was coming up, James was quick to fast forward it to the solo "I don't think they should hear this part." James said as the song resumed.

**Oh, wah-ah-ah-ah!**

**Get up, come on, get down with the sickness**

**Get up, come on, get down with the sickness**

**Get up, come on, get down with the sickness**

**Open up your hate, and let it flow into me**

**Get up, come on get down with the sickness**

**You mother, get up, come on, get down with the sickness**

**You fucker, get up, come on, get down with the sickness**

**Madness has now come over me**

James quickly changed it to another song as the first one ended "Hmm, I liked it. I feel like I can fight take on a few monsters." Naomi said as her eyes were pulsating with exhilaration. "That's what metal music does to ya, it fuels you with energy and you can do anything." Ramirez said as he looked down at the catgirl.

**Cochise – Audioslave (R.I.P Chris Cornell, ya legend)**

An unholy sounding electronic clicking came through the speakers accompanied by a drum set being slammed, slowly the clicking got louder as another guitar joined in the fray and ripped into an amazing riff. As the clicking disappeared, the sound of electronic muffled

**Well, I've been watching, while you've been coughing**

**I've been drinking life, while you've been nauseous**

**And so I drink to health, while you kill yourself**

**And I've got just one thing that I can offer**

**Go on and save yourself**

**And take it out on me**

**Go on and save yourself**

**And take it out on me, yeah**

Another solo roared through the speakers while Naomi nodded her head along with each slam of the drums, Ayumi closed her eyes and listened to the melody and the lyrics while James and Ramirez sang along with the song.

**I'm not a martyr, I'm not a prophet**

**And I won't preach to you, but here's a caution**

**You better understand, that I won't hold your hand**

**But if it helps you mend, then I won't stop it**

**Go on and save yourself**

**And take it out on me**

**Go on and save yourself**

**And take it out on me, yeah**

**Go on and save yourself**

**And take it out on me**

**Go on and save yourself**

**And take it out on me, yeah**

As they sang and drove, James noticed that the sun was sinking below the horizon; he reached down and paused the music before he radioed Pearson "Pearson, stop up ahead. It's getting late, we should probably stop for the night." James said as he put the handset back on the CB Radio. "10-4, full stop." Pearson said before the convoy came to a stop.

James got out of the Humvee and approached the carriage that Touya was in "Yo, Toyota, we're gonna stop for the night. There's a clearing up ahead where we can make camp." James said as the Abrams pulled off to the side. The convoy moved ahead to the clearing where the guards helped to set up camp while Victoria landed the Super Stallion in a clearing directly opposite of them.

Pearson pulled the Abrams forward and parked it in a clearing with the barrel pointed forward, James backed the Humvee into a secluded spot; the group got out of the Humvee and joined the others as they were making camp. "We're at your disposal, what can we do?" The guardsmen asked. "Alright, we'll need you to go hunt down something that we can cook for dinner. Pearson will join you, he was an awesome hunter back where we're from." James said as he handed Pearson his M110 SASS. Pearson nodded before he and two guards disappeared into the forest. The Marines got to work building a fire from the surrounding brush and had a large fire burning in a matter of minutes, the unmistakable sound of a rifle gunshot rang out through the forest as they worked to set up camp for everyone.

Pearson emerged ten minutes later with the guards in tow carrying a twelve point buck, "Oh! Nice one!" James said as he pulled out his knife and dragged the deer over to the wood, Ramirez followed with a shovel and dug a deep hole while James hung the deer up by the hind legs using Modeling on a tree to hold the legs. James held his knife upside down and sliced the deer straight down the middle, blood rushed out and splashed onto his boots while he continued to cut down the middle of the deer. Ramirez pulled on a pair of latex gloves from his medic pack in his bag and pulled the entrails from the deer, he dropped the guts into the hole and covered it back up completely.

The two got to work skinning and harvesting the venison from the deer, Ramirez pulled a piece of metal out and used Modeling to turned it into an extremely sharp blade which he used to cut off the antlers, he modeled the blade back into a small block of metal which he slipped into his pocket before he finished up on the deer's carcass. The two Marines couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, James looked over his shoulder and some of the guards watching intrigued "Have you guys never field dressed a deer?" James asked, a couple guard shook their heads as they stepped forward for an impromptu lesson.

"Right, so the first thing you do is secure the hind legs and hang it upside down, secondly you make an incision near the anus and then slice downward, always make sure you dig a hole to bury the entrails so no scavengers come looking for it and find the camp, third you're gonna want to skin the pelt off by slicing along the muscle here." James said as he pointed to the muscle and the pelt. "Now, you get to slice the meat and harvest it, you're gonna want to wrap them in wax paper so it absorbs the blood." James explained. "Gate." Ramirez said before a portal opened, he walked through and came out inside the castle. He grabbed a roll of butcher paper off the counter and walked back through the Gate.

"This is called Butcher's Paper, it's a heavy duty paper that has a polyethylene coating on one side. Polyethylene is a type of plastic, which is made from oil; the coating withstands blood and moisture so it's great for wrapping raw meat." James said as Ramirez wrapped up pieces of Venison and stored them in a large insulated container. James picked up the remaining Venison and carried it to the campsite while Ramirez carried the rest through the Gate to the castle. James grabbed a large rock and carried it to the middle of the campsite before he closed his eyes and held his hands over the stone "Modeling." James said before the stone started to change and take form into a stone fire pit, he modeled a piece of metal into a cooking grate that he placed on top of the stone grill.

He grabbed some of the wood and placed it in a pile, he pulled out his lighter and set the wood on fire before he held his hand over the now burning wood "Modeling." James said as the wood glowed, the fire disappeared and was replaced by a pile of charcoal that he scooped up and placed inside the grill. He slipped some kindling into the charcoal and set it on fire, James stepped back and watched as the fire started to rise and burn like many of the grills back in the Marine Corps during the 4th of July.

James placed the slices of Venison on the stone grill and listened as the meat sizzled slowly, the heat warmed up the metal and cooked the venison steaks slowly as the others watched on in amazement "What is it that you're doing?" Lyon asked as he approached the Marine, James chuckled "It's called grilling, we do this all the time back in my home country. I don't have any spices so it's gonna taste weird. I need garlic, coriander, black pepper, cayenne pepper flakes, dill seed, and salt to make this taste good." James said as he flipped the steaks with his knife, James looked over and saw Ayumi, Shelyn, and Naomi conversing with Olga, the four girls were laughing and smiling.

James couldn't help but smile as he went back to the grill, Ramirez came back in a full sprint with a jar in his hand "Bro, you won't believe what I found in my bag; remember when we were in Bosnia and we were grilling, I had steak seasoning in my bag... that I never removed." Ramirez said as he handed the marksman a 3/4 bottle of Montreal Steak Seasoning. James stared at the jar in awe before he sprinkled some on the raw Venison and rubbed it, Ramirez used Modeling on a medium stone and turned it into stone plates that he used to hold the steaks. James placed the season-less steaks on the plates and put the seasoned ones onto the grill "Nevermind, these are gonna be great." James said as he bit into his Venison steak 'Yep, that's flavorless venison.' James thought to himself as he chewed.

James and Ramirez took turns at the grill, even teaching Lyon and Garn how to do it so they can know for future purposes. After all the venison was seasoned and cooked, it was passed out to everyone at the campsite; the rifleman and marksman stood back and watched as their patrons discovered a new delectable food. "By the gods, this is so good." Lyon said as he bit into his steak, Pearson had opened a Gate to the castle and had gone back to grab cutlery for them to use. "You think that's good, give me some beef and I'll make y'all some good steaks." James said as he cleaned his knife and sheathed it.

Two hours had passed and the members of the convoy were starting to settle down around the fire, James walked back to the fire with an acoustic guitar in hand while Touya told the story of Puss in Boots to the convoy members "And so, the cat beastman in boots became a Noble and lived happily ever after." Touya said as he finished the story, everyone around the campfire lightly clapped as they enjoyed the story. James sat down on a log with the guitar, everyone looked at him as he held a pick in his mouth "Oh, an instrument? Are you gonna play something for us?" Linze asked, James nodded as he pulled the pick out of his mouth and pressed his fingers into the chords.

**Blue On Black - Five Finger Death Punch (I know it's a 2018 song, but let's just say 2017)**

James strummed the guitar lightly while moving his left hand up and down the neck of the guitar. He nodded his head along with the rhythm as the song played in his mind.

**Night falls and I'm alone, **

**Skin, yeah, chilled me to the bone**

**You, turned and you ran, oh yeah. **

**Oh, slipped right from my hands.**

**Yeah**

James stood up and moved the guitar so it was at a better angle for him to play.

**Blue on black, tears on a river**

**Push on a shove, it don't mean much**

**Joker on jack, match on a fire**

**Cold on ice, a dead man's touch**

**Whisper on a scream**

**Never change a thing**

**Doesn't bring you back!**

**It's like blue on black.**

James played the guitar slightly wilder than before as he strummed out a mini solo.

**Blind, oh, but now I see**

**Truth lies and in between**

**Wrong, can't be undone, oh no**

**Well, it slipped from the tip of your tongue**

James looked over at the Marines who seemed to be singing along with him.

**Yeah!**

**Blue on black, tears on a river**

**Push on a shove, it don't mean much**

**Joker on jack, match on a fire**

**Cold on ice, a dead man's touch**

**Whisper on a scream**

**Never change a thing**

**Doesn't bring you back!**

**It's blue on black**

James strummed out the acoustic solo while the others watched on, Touya rolled his eyes before Victoria elbowed him in the arm.

**Blue on black, tears on a river**

**Push on a shove, it don't mean much**

James slapped the guitar as he counted his mental metronome '1..2..3..4.'

**Blue on black, tears on a river**

**Push on a shove, it don't mean much**

**Joker on jack, match on a fire**

**Cold on ice, a dead man's touch**

**Whisper on a scream!**

**Never change a thing**

**Doesn't bring you back!**

**It's blue on black**

**Yeah, blue on black**

**Yeah, it's blue on black**

**Yeah, blue on black!**

The campfire audience clapped as James sat down on the log between Ayumi and Naomi while Shelyn sat on his lap. "Did you write that song?" Yumina asked, James chuckled "Oh no, it's a song from my country." James said as he wrapped his arms around Ayumi and Naomi. Suddenly, a demi-human with rabbit ears sat up and stared at the tree line. James moved Shelyn off his lap as he stood up "Alright Marines, let's get evil." James said as he reached for his Scar-H. James grabbed his helmet from the Humvee and strapped it on before he pulled the optics down, the area was blanked in white and illuminated heat sources in black. "What is it?" Touya asked, Garn gritted his teeth "Most likely Highwaymen, they came in a great number so this will be a messy fight." Garn said as he readied his blades. Touya tapped on his phone for moment, "Paralyze." Touya said as he held his hand over his phone, James watched as multiple bandits fell from the trees and slammed into the ground.

"Stand down G.I. Joe, I got them." Touya said with a smug smirk. James gritted his teeth in anger as he walked back to the Humvee, he lifted his optics up as he passed Touya and Garn "Well, it was helpful, but honestly, I'm completely surprised." Garn said as he sheathed his blades, Touya waved his hand and dismissed Garn's comment "Please don't be. This was all thanks to the person who noticed them from the beginning. You probably know this well enough, I guess?" Touya said as he looked at the bunny girl with whitish-purple hair (Red in the anime, but I'm going off the manga) "Aaah, you mean Lain?" Garn asked. "She's a rabbit beastman so that's where the sharp ears came from." Garn explained.

James shook his head and walked over to the highwaymen that the guards were tying up "So, who sent you?" James asked as he knelt in front of one of them, the highwayman looked away as if he had nothing to say. James pulled his knife out and pushed it against the man's throat until it drew blood "I don't think you heard me correctly, who sent you?" James asked again but the man still said nothing. James exhaled sharply through his nose before he slammed the blade down into the highwayman's upper thigh, the man howled in pain as blood flowed from the knife wound.

"See that knife, it's about two inches to the left of your Femoral Artery. One little slice and poof... you'd bleed out and die. If you had an average heart rate that is, but now your heartbeat is elevated so if I cut it... you'd die in seconds, wouldn't even be able to think of your life before you're swallowed by the void." James said as he started to twist the blade. "Okay okay okay! It was the The Black Phantom Company, they hired us to take you out and to acquire new merchandise." The highwayman said, James chuckled as he stared into the highwayman's eyes.

"So, slavers? Are they from Sandora as well?" James asked as he pushed the blade deeper. "Yes... *Pained grunted* no... *Grunt* I don't know? We never met them, they just sent us a letter with a description of the targets and that we would be paid extra for any other people we brought in." The highwayman said in a desperate plea for his life. "Goodboy." James said before he jerked the blade to the right and sliced through the man's Femoral Artery, blood flowed from his thigh as he quickly bled out. "James... you killed him..." Linze said in disbelief, James shook his head "They planned to sell you into slavery, and I'm not gonna sit by and let that shit happen." James said as the highwayman's body slumped over. "I say we take 'em out back and finish this properly, we make a pit, line 'em up, and pop. No more problems." Fox said as he glared at the highwaymen.

"We'll have some of our guards walk them back to the nearest town and hand them over to the guard." Lyon said as some of the Belfast knights rounded up the highwaymen and loaded them onto the back of a carriage, James walked back to the Humvee as the carriage road away "Alright, be on your guard, there's no telling what's gonna come out next." James said as he grabbed his M110 SASS and leaned it against the Humvee. He looked over to see where Ramirez was and saw he was talking to Lain while they walked together, James smirked as he knew his battle buddy's flirtatious plan; Ramirez stumbled and fell to the ground in front of Lain but landed so he was looking up into her eyes "Oh my, it looks like I might have fallen for you." Ramirez said as he pushed himself up, Lain giggled at his mannerisms and continued to walk with him, albeit a little closer than before.

"Good job, Ramirez, even though that move only had a 25% success rate. It goes to 100% in a world where pickup lines don't exist." James said to himself as he crossed his arms and leaned against the Humvee. Slowly one by one, the envoys made their way to the shelter the Marines had built and went to sleep while two of the Marines stayed up on guard; James and Ramirez.

The air was still and the bugs were silent as the moon crept to the middle of the sky, James knelt on the roof of the Abrams and watched the road while Ramirez sat in the gunner's seat of the Humvee. The two battle buddies occasionally conversed with one another while they stood guard. "Hey Ramirez, do you remember the day you died?" James asked through their comms, the line was silent before it clicked "Like it was yesterday, I still remember the RPG flying over the dunes and hitting the side of the MRAP after we had hit an IED. I can still feel the shrapnel buried in my sternum, the burning sensation as I bled out. How about you?" Ramirez asked, James chuckled before he pressed his comms "Yep, still feel the blast that caved in my chest." James said as he placed a hand on his chest.

"It was a fucking MK 2 Pineapple grenade, the ones from fucking World War 1." James said before he chuckled slightly and lowered his head "Hey Ramirez, thanks for always having my back when we were in the shit." James said in a solemn and sincere tone. Ramirez chuckled "Mother fucker, do I have to come over there and slap the fuck out of you? It was my duty as your battle buddy, don't you go and start this sentimental shit now. You cried at my funeral like a bitch, the infamous Kraken was crying his eyes out." Ramirez said as he laughed, James couldn't help but chuckle "You're an asshole, you know that?" James said as he shook his head. Ramirez scoffed and chuckled "Bitch! You know you love me." Ramirez said in a cocky tone.

As James stood on the Abrams, he heard the sound of a twig snapping behind him; the Marksman swung around and aimed his M110 at the source of the sound, but his heart dropped when the crosshairs landed on Shelyn, "Oh Jesus Christ sweetheart, you can't sneak up on me like that when I'm in combat mode." James said apologetically as he helped her up onto the tank. "Sorry, I just couldn't sleep without you next to me." Shelyn said as she sat down next to him and laid her head on his shoulder. "Are you gonna rescue the slaves in Sandora?" Shelyn asked meekly, James wrapped his right arm around her and pulled her closer "Oh course, I would never leave them in that situation. Especially since after everyone is rescued, Sandora is going to be obliterated along with all the slavers and slave owners. I will not let any harm come to the people I love." James said as he rubbed her right arm lightly, Shelyn laid her head on his lap and pushed her body closer to his "I love you, James." Shelyn said as she closed her eyes, James chuckled as he rubbed her head lightly as she fell asleep "I love you too, Shelyn." James said as he looked down at the beautiful woman asleep in his lap.

***The Next Morning***

James scanned the area as the sun crept over the horizon, birds chirped while the wind blew across the plains; slowly the members of the envoy convoy awoke from their slumber and exited the makeshift shelter, Lyon approached James who sat on the tank with Shelyn in his lap "James, do you need to sleep before we leave?" Lyon asked concerned, James chuckled before he placed a hand on the top of his head "Nope. Come forth light, the breath bringing health: Refresh." James said before his body glowed white. "Now I don't feel fatigued in the slightest." James said as Shelyn slowly woke up, she sat up and rubbed her eyes before she kissed James on the lips.

"Good morning, James." Shelyn said as she laid on his lap again and looked up into his blue eyes. "Shelyn! There you are, we were wondering where you ran off to." Naomi said as she and Ayumi approached the tank. "Good morning, girls, how'd ya sleep?" James asked, Naomi puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms "Bad, I couldn't sleep without you there." Naomi said before she turned around, but seemed to stick her ass out a little as if she were trying to entice James into plowing her in the shelter. "Not now, sweetheart. Maybe when we get to where we're going." James said as he picked Shelyn up and jumped off the tank, she held onto him closely before he sat her down gently.

"Alright people, let's get loaded up and head out. Canaan is a few miles away, we can stop and get food, supplies, and other stuff. Let's get going." James said as he made his way to the Humvee, James climbed into the Humvee as the Abrams fired up and pulled onto the road with the carriages behind them. James drove out of the brush and onto the road behind the carriages as the Super Stallion slowly rose into the air "James, what are we gonna do about the camp?" Elze asked from the carriage in front of the Humvee, James looked up at Ramirez who simply nodded. Ramirez pulled a grenade from his vest, ripped the pin, and hail married the grenade into the doorway of the makeshift shelter. The shelter was silent for a moment before it exploded into splinters of burning wood and embers "Alright, we're good." James said as he signaled for Pearson to drive on.

One by one, the convoy drove down the path with the helicopter flying overhead; the convoy drove along the road for what felt like hours, James sat behind the driver's seat while Naomi sat in the passenger seat next to him. Ayumi leaned forward and draped her arms over Naomi's shoulders before she kissed her on the cheek "Love ya, girl." Ayumi said affectionately to Naomi who caressed the Kitsune's arm lightly. After an hour of driving, the convoy arrived at Canaan's outskirts; the Abrams pulled off into the grass along with the Humvee while the carriages went into the city "Y'all go through, we're going to cut around and ready ourselves on the other side." James said to Lyon before the Marines drove around the town, through a stream, and parked on the other side by the gates.

"Hey baby, can we go shopping?" Naomi asked as she leaned over toward him while she held herself up with her arms extended which caused her breasts to squeeze together and gave James a nice view of her cleavage. "Uhmm, yeah totally. I need to gather some info anyway so we can stop at a few shops if you girls want." James said as he tried to stay focused on the task at hand. "Hey bro, I had a question and this is gonna come out of nowhere but... why were you a Sergeant for so long and not promoted to Staff Sergeant?" Ramirez asked, James looked down at the steering wheel then back up at Ramirez with a confused look on his face "... I never actually stopped to think about it." James said stunned at the thought.

"Hey, your comms are still on. But I know the answer, remember how Captain Cunningham disliked you because you'd always have a sarcastic answer? That's why, you were supposed to be promoted to Staff Sergeant but Cunningham 'lost' the promotion recommendation submitted by First Lieutenant Jonathan Ramirez to the Board of Promotions. But after you sacrificed yourself to save your squad, he finally promoted you to the rank you deserved all along, Gunny." Fox said over their comms. James scoffed and chuckled "Yeah, Cunningham fucking hated me." James said as he climbed out of the Humvee. "You think it might have anything to do with the Camel Spiders we put in his bed when we were stationed at Camp Dwyer?" Ramirez asked, James busted out laughing as he opened the back door for the girls "Yeah! That'd probably do it." James said as he helped the girls out of the Humvee.

"What are Camel Spiders?" Ayumi asked as James closed the door, James pulled his phone out and pulled up a picture of him in Iraq holding one over his open mouth "They're huge desert spiders that our Captain was deathly afraid of, he made us do some bullshit menial tasks just to waste our time, so our company, Golf Company, put a bunch of them in his bed under his blankets. The thing about Camel Spiders is that they're fast, big, and silent." James explained as he showed a picture of a spider in his hand. "They're actually very docile, even if they're being handled." James continued before he placed his phone into his pocket.

Lance Corporal Austin and Corporal Fox joined James and Ramirez at the south gate of Canaan where Private Pearson was waiting "Took you two long enough." Pearson said as he stood up straight and followed the other Marines into town. The group walked through the market district with their sidearms holstered on their sides and moved in a diamond formation with Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn in the middle. Ayumi, Naomi, Shelyn, and The Marines finally met up with the other members of the envoy; Arma and Yumina gazed at a table full of jewelry that had various types of precious stones in them "Oh, they're so pretty!" Arma said as she gazed at them.

"Which one's your favorite?" James asked as he walked up, his sudden appearance startled Arma and caused her to bite her tongue. "Oh, hi James, we're glad you could make it to go shopping." Arma said with a faint lisp. "You never did answer my question, which one is your favorite?" James asked as he knelt next to Arma, she studied the broaches closely before she pointed to a purple one that looked like grapes on a vine. "This one!" Arma stated, James chuckled and stood up before he flipped a silver coin to the merchant. "Uh sir, it was only 5 Bronze pieces." The merchant said confused, James chuckled as he picked up the grape.

"Get yourself something nice." James said to the merchant before he handed the broach to Arma. Touya looked over at Lyon who seemed perplexed "Hey Arma, which one do you think your sister would like?" Touya asked, Arma thought for a moment "Hmm, big sis prefers designs with flowers, especially this one. The Elius flower is the one that she loves, she often buys them." Arma said as she gestured to a pink flower broach. "Hmm interesting, alright guys, we're gonna go do some shopping. Later, Toyota." James said as his group started to walk away.

Touya got the hint, made like a tree, and got the fuck out of there; Naomi puffed her cheeks out and pouted as she looked at James "How come you didn't get us anything?" Naomi asked, James chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her. "Because you girls deserve something better than a broach." James said as he led them to a Jewelry store that sold raw gems and various types of precious metals. James was about to open the door when he turned around and faced the girls "I want you girls to stay with the rest of 2nd Battalion, I want this to be a surprise." James said before he disappeared into the gem store.

"Hello sir, how may I-" The shopkeeper started to say before James cut him off "Sorry to cut you off, I require your assistance with something." James said as he placed the medallions on the counter, the shopkeeper studied before he perked up "Certainly sir, how may I be of service?" The shopkeeper asked. James nodded his head as he thought "Firstly, I need six gold ingots, three silver ingots, some Bixbite, some Purple Sapphire, and some Titanite." James said as he pulled pictures of the gemstones up on his phone.

The shopkeeper nodded before he disappeared behind the curtain for a few minutes, he returned eight minutes later carrying a tray of the items requested; the Bixbite had a beautiful fuchsia-pink color that seemed to shine bright in the sunlight. The Purple Sapphire radiated a dazzling purple color that who peak the interest of any gem collector, and the Titanite shown brightly when the sun's rays hit it, which caused it to shine as if it were a miniature sun.

"Perfect, how much?" James asked, the shopkeeper shook his head "I can tell that these are for someone very dear to you, someone that you'd give the world for and I think that is beautiful to see young love blossom into something like this. For that, I will only charge you one gold piece." The shopkeeper said as he placed the gems and metals into individual cloth sacks, James fished out two gold coins and placed them on the counter. "This one is for the gems." James said as he slid a coin forward, the shopkeeper looked at the other one unsure "And the other?" The shopkeeper asked slightly nervous. "This one is for information, like, who do you get your gems from? Because these *picks up gem on display* look as if they were mined by a child." James said as he stared through the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper gulped nervously as his darted back and forth between the gem and James "I- I uhh I don't know what you're talking about." The shopkeeper said as he lied through his teeth. "Listen shopkeep, I've been around the world, been in conflicts you couldn't even fathom, seen atrocities that would make you vomit, and I've seen the exploitation of child labor, one thing is consistent about gems mined by children: they're small because their bodies don't have enough muscle mass to swing the pickaxe fully, so you get these small gems." James said as he spun the uncut gem between his gloved fingers.

"I'm gonna ask one more time: where do you get the gems? What's your source?" James asked as he placed the gem down. "Who are you? What do you want?" The shopkeeper asked in a stern tone, James chuckled as he stood up "Me? I'm someone who's about to go to war with Sandora and I get a sneaking suspicion that these are their second primary economic income, so I guess I'm trying to cripple them economically before I obliterate them with sheer destructive force, want a sample?" James asked as he unholstered the M45 1911 from his vest holster and racked the slide. The man backed up as fear took over his body "Wh-What is that?" The shopkeeper asked, James sighed as he admired his handiwork and the craftsmanship of the pistol "Well, let's just say that it fires small pieces of metal that fly out at about 830 feet per second, needless to say that I shoot you with this and there is no magic in the world to save you, no spells, no herbs, nothing. You will fall into the nothingness of the void, no dreams... only nightmares." James said as he stared into the man's soul.

The shopkeeper looked as if he were about to piss himself "Oh god, please don't hurt me! I have nothing to do with who mines the gems, I get them from a mining group that call themselves 'The Jade Wraiths'. They tout themselves as a mining company, but they use child slave labor." The Shopkeeper explained. James slammed his fist down onto the counter and raised his voice "I want names and locations of their operations. Who do you buy from? What's the transport route? Do they have mines? ANSWERS!" James yelled which seemed to startle the girls outside. "Is-Is he okay?" Ayumi asked concerned, Victoria walked up and wrapped her arms around the Kitsune "He's getting information the way he was trained, it's not pretty in the slightest. Don't worry, girls, he's still the man you love and he loves you more than you know... and he'll still dick ya down tonight." Victoria said with a wink toward Naomi, Fox sighed and facepalmed "Jesus fucking Christ, Victoria! What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Fox asked before the sound of a gunshot emanated from the shop.

The man laid on the floor as he shook in fear, the bullet had pierced through the floor between the man's legs, shy of his groin; the shopkeeper looked petrified as James crouched in front of him "That is what we call a 'Warning Shot', you don't get a second one." James said before he pressed the barrel against the shopkeeper's temple. "Okay! Okay! I'll tell you everything I know." The shopkeeper said as he slowly stood up and moved over to the desk, he pulled a book from the desk and flipped through the pages of names until he got to one that had a list of names that all corresponded to a name and region "The head of 'The Jade Wraiths' is named Damon but he's known as 'The Jolly Torturer'. He's got henchmen throughout Sandora and parts of Belfast, Mismede, and even The Sea of Trees; you can find them easily since they have 'JW' branded into the sides of their necks. If you find them, you'll find the mines, and you'll find Damon." The shopkeeper explained.

James reached forward and took the book from the man's hands "Copy." James said as he held his hand over the book, the book glowed before a second one materialized on top of the first one. James flipped through the copied book and examined all the names of the shopkeeper's contacts including mining companies, weapons dealers, smugglers, and other unsavory people; James flipped to a page with a folded corner and read some of the names until one popped out to him, 'The Black Phantom Company'. James sighed as he closed the book and put it into his bag "So... you have dealings with the Black Phantom Company, huh?" James asked as he slowly slid the M45 1911 in his vest holster, the shopkeeper shook his head nervously "Wha-! No, never! I would never do that!" The shopkeeper protested, James chuckled as he opened the ledger part of the book.

"Really, because this signature here says otherwise." James said as he pointed at an entry on the ledger, the ledger entry detailed a trade of three fourteen year old females and two twelve year old females in exchange for four 2 caret Benitoite Oval cut gemstones that was valued at roughly four platinum coins and five gold coins "You bought these five girls and paid in Benitoite gemstones, you kept record of it like an idiot. So now I've got another question for you dick nose, where are the girls?" James asked with venom on his tongue as he placed his hand on the handle of his revolver, the shopkeeper's facade finally seemed to break as he started to chuckle that slowly grew into a laugh.

"Gone... I had my fun, now they're gone." The Shopkeeper said as his eyes seemed to become crazed. James clenched his fists as he walked backward toward the door while he maintained eye contact on the shopkeeper, he opened the door and stuck his head out "Fox, Ramirez; we got a situation, Victoria, take the girls shopping." James said before he tossed her a satchel of gold and silver, Victoria nodded understandingly as she led the girls away.

Pearson moved in front of the door as it closed behind him, Fox and Ramirez walked into the shop as James locked the door behind them "What's up?" Ramirez asked as he looked around the shop, James gestured to the ledger as he walked toward shopkeeper; Ramirez walked over to the ledger and flipped through pages until he landed on the page that sent James over the edge "Oh you son of a bitch!" Ramirez exclaimed as he placed his hand on the handle of his Beretta 92FS. Fox grabbed Ramirez's wrist and stopped him from drawing his pistol "Woah! Let's see what Gunny wants to do first." Fox said before the two Marines joined James in surrounding the shopkeeper.

"Alright, so here's what's going to happen, you're gonna tell us what happened to the girls and you're not gonna withhold a single bit of information, if you do, well... say goodbye to your kneecaps." James said as he pressed the barrel of his revolver into the shopkeeper's leg and cocked back the hammer, the reel spun and cycled a .357 Magnum round into place as James adjusted his grip on the handle. "WHERE ARE THEY!?" James yelled, the shopkeeper turned his head and looked in the direction of a cellar door. "Ramirez, watch him. Fox, on me." James said as he stood up.

"Sir!" Both Marines said in unison as Ramirez pulled out his pistol and pointed it at the shopkeeper "Move a muscle and I put one between your eyes." Ramirez said as he racked the slide and chambered a 9mm hollow point. James and Fox approached the cellar door, Fox shot the lock off and flipped it open before they dashed into the dark cellar. The overwhelming smell of decay flooded their noses, the stench was all too familiar to James "Burned flesh and Iron... there's a lot of blood." James said as he clicked on his flashlight and illuminated the cellar. James swept the area with his flashlight until it panned across four young and malnourished faces that were chained to the wall, dried blood coated their inner thighs and scars criss-crossed their bodies.

"Ramirez, hog tie him and get down here." James said through his throat comms before the sound of a body thudded to the ground followed by the unmistakable sound of zip-ties, Ramirez ran down the stairs and came to the horrors they were looking at "Alright, what's u-Jesus Christ, what the fuck!" Ramirez exclaimed. James walked up to the girls and placed two fingers onto their necks, he closed his eyes as he focused "I got a pulse, it's weak but I got one." James said as he backed up and selected the four individuals with his phone before he held his hand over it "Come forth, Light! Calm of the Goddess: Mega Heal!" James said as four runes of light formed above them before beams of healing light seemed to pour into their fragile bodies, James watched as the bruises, lacerations, and other wounds seemed to disappear as if they never existed.

James stepped back and watched carefully as the captives slowly began to stir "Fox, find the key to these shackles." James said as he tried to avoid looking at the fifth captive in the corner "He's a fucking monster, we're using him to set up a meeting with the Wraiths, then we're killing him." James said as he continued to watch the young girls "Come on, wake up." James said softly, slowly the young girls came to and looked around at their surroundings, utterly scared and confused. "Hey there, my name is James and I'm here to get you out of this place." James said in a soft, delicate manner as Fox returned with key ring. James stepped toward the girls and reached up to unlock the shackles, but stopped when the girls flinched in fear "Hey hey, don't worry, nobody is going to hurt you ever again... if they try to, it'll be a fatal mistake." James said as he tried to reassure the young girls. He inserted the key into the shackles and turned the key, the shackles clicked and fell from their frail arms as their bodies slipped from the wall limply.

Fox caught the girls and helped them to the ground so they wouldn't land face first on the ground, Fox escorted them to the staircase after the last girl was cut loose from her shackles; Ramirez knelt in front of them and looked up the girls so they wouldn't feel threatened "So, can you tell me your names? My name is James Ramirez, the tall one over there is my best friend who's also named James." Ramirez said in a nurturing tone. "Uhh, my name is Worthless Winch." One of the fourteen year old girls said, this caught James attention as his head whipped around "Did they name you that?" James asked, the young girl nodded her head weakly. "What about him? What did he do?" James asked as he crossed his arms and clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white in anger. "He just called us his playthings and that we were worthless... is that true? Are we worthless?" The girl asked, Ramirez wrapped his arms around the young girl and pulled her into his embrace "Sweetheart, your life has so much value and you'll be able to live your life to the fullest when we get out of here." Ramirez said as the girl started to cry into his shoulder.

"Fox, go upstairs and beat him to an inch of his life, heal him, and then beat him again." James said, Fox nodded as he cracked his knuckles and bolted upstairs. "Surprise mother fucker! You got me now!" Fox yelled up stairs before the sound of hits landing filled the room followed by objects being destroyed. After five minutes of the beating, there was a pause before Fox spoke "Come forth, Light! Calm of the Goddess: Mega Heal." Fox said before a light shone through the doorway, it was silent for a few seconds before the hits started landing again. "FUCK. YOU. YOU. GOD. DAMN. WASTE. OF. SPACE." Fox said through gritted teeth as he beat the shopkeeper down, healed him, and beat him again.

"Let's give you girls proper names. But first, clothes." James said as he snapped his fingers and opened a Gate portal, he stepped out into the castle and found a large roll of fabric they used to create new curtains and sheets, he grabbed the roll and walked back into the basement dungeon as a healing light shone from the doorway. James and Ramirez got to work fast cutting and modeling the fabric into shirts, pants, and undergarments "Alright, this should suffice until we can get you back to our castle where our friends can help you out." James said as the girls pulled on the new clothing. James stood up and walked back to the corner where had covered the fifth girl in a sheet, he knelt next to the sheet and lifted it up to examine the body "That evil son of a bitch." James muttered to himself.

James could make out notable marks that indicated that the young girl had been tortured, raped, and set on fire while still alive judging by the char marks on the ground from where she more than likely flailed and screamed until she succumbed to the fire. James stood up and noted the dried blood on the ground around where her body laid on the cold stone floor along with a few sharp utensils with dried blood on them.

"Hey Fox, break his elbow!" James yelled, he was met with silence before a disgusting crunch sound echoed off the walls followed by a somewhat feminine shriek. "Alright, so let me give you girls some proper names for you to go by." James said as he looked at the four scared girls, he knelt next to the two twelve year old girls "Are you two sisters?" James asked as the girls clung to one another, one of the girls nodded shyly as they hid behind Ramirez. The twins were no older than either twelve or thirteen; they had pale white skin, one had black hair and they other white hair that seemed to blend together with their magenta eyes.

"Hmm, your name will be Marilla." He said as he gestured to the girl with black hair. "And you'll be Zaleria." James said to the girl with white hair. "Marilla and Zaleria, it fits you girls." Ramirez said as he ruffled their hair playfully. James stood up and looked at the fourteen year old girls that stood next to Ramirez, the one to his left had tan skin and shoulder length brown hair while the one to his right had light skin that wasn't pale but wasn't tan either, she had platinum blonde hair that ran down her back, her hair was dirty and full of knots from the abuse at the hands of the shopkeeper who was currently on the receiving end of an ass whooping. He gestured to the girl on Ramirez's left and cleared his throat "You'll be Minerva and your name will be Camilla." James said as he finished up the naming process for the four girls.

Their entire demeanor seemed to change in an instant "Thank you, James, Ramirez, thank you for saving us." Minerva said as she bowed her head thankfully, Camilla had hazel eyes, which looked like a gold & green explosion in her irises that seemed to compliment her platinum blonde hair. Minerva lifted her head to look at her savior, the light hit her eyes and displayed a captivating teal-colored iris. "Alright, so how about we get the hell out of here." Ramirez said as he gestured toward the door. "Right, we'll send Tori back with these girls and get them situated at the castle, hell, we can always open a Gate to the castle at any time." James said as he started to walk up the stairs.

"Please! No more!" The shopkeeper begged before Fox drove his fist down into the man's face. "Having fun?" James asked, Fox chuckled "What? I'm just warming up. Now comes the fun part." Fox said as he started to shuffle his feet back and forth before he hit the shopkeeper up side the head with a reverse roundhouse that knocked him unconscious. "Well, that's fortunate since we're leaving." James said, Fox chuckled as he picked the shopkeeper up and tossed him over his shoulder. "Alright Ramirez, take the girls and go find Victoria, fill her in on the situation and to get them back to the castle. Fox, take dipshit back to the Humvee and make sure he's bound and gagged. Pearson and I will clean this place out, look for any intel, give that fifth girl a proper burial, and burn this place to the ground." James stated, the Marines nodded and made their way to their objectives.

Pearson walked in as Ramirez was talking to Victoria outside, he closed the door behind him and looked at the large puddle of blood on the floor by a fireplace "Jesus, Fox worked that bitch over good." Pearson said before they got to work bagging all the valuables "So, why are we doing this?" Pearson asked as he poured a box of rubies into a cloth bag and pulled the string. "Leverage, Private Pearson. The best course of action is the path of least resistance, which in this case of what we're dealing with, is human trafficking and other black market dealings. Well, if we use gems as our leverage, we can get anything we want." James said as they stripped the store of all its valuables and stored them in James's Storage Null Spell.

James grabbed a large wooden table and dragged it to the middle of the room followed by a wooden drawer, two chairs, and some metal from a metal statue of a dog "Modeling." James said as he held his hands over the pile, the objects started to glow as they molded into a new object; the light faded and revealed a freshly made casket "Come on, let's go." James said as he led Pearson down the stairs to the basement, Pearson looked around in abject horror at the grotesque scene that painted the room of what was those four girls life for god knows how long. "She's over here." James said solemnly as he walked over to a white sheet on the ground. James knelt next to her body and laid a hand on her head "May the gods find a place for you to rest, and may you feel nothing but happiness and joy. I'm sorry we weren't here sooner." James said as tears started to stream down his cheeks, the teardrops fell from his face and impacted the white sheet, darkening the cotton that covered her body.

"Remind you of Kandahar?" Pearson asked, James didn't look up but simply nodded his head "Yeah... Kandahar." James said as he wiped his eyes with his sleeve. James shook his head before he grabbed the sheet and wrapped her body in it completely, the Marines lifted her body up and carried her upstairs, they lowered her body into the casket slowly before James closed the lid and latched it shut. James snapped his fingers and carried the casket through along with Pearson, Victoria was next to James's girls as well as Marilla, Zaleria, Minerva, and Camilla. "There's a nice spot on the hill." Ramirez said as he opened the steel gate.

James and Pearson carried the casket up the hill to a lone tree that created a large shadow that covered the hill top, Ramirez had used the spell Pitfall to create a six foot hole in the hill; James and Pearson slowly lowered the casket into the ground while Ramirez prayed that she would find peace in the afterlife, that she wouldn't feel any sensation other than bliss, and that her abusers be brought to justice swiftly. James clenched his fists as he closed his eyes 'I promise, I'll make those fuckers pay for this.' James thought to himself as he rested his hand on the casket, James placed his hand on the edge and grabbed hold of Ramirez's forearm to pull himself of the hole; the Marines picked picked up some shovels and quickly filled the hole in with dirt before they used some stones to make a headstone via modeling.

"Thank you, James, this meant a lot to us. And thank you again for rescuing us." Minerva said as Camilla placed a flower down on the girls' grave. "It's no problem, Minerva, I hate to see this kind of thing happen to innocent people." James said as he patted her on the head. "We should probably get back to the convoy; do you girls mind staying with them until we get to Mismede?" James asked Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn who shook their head "No problem, go get 'em, tiger." Ayumi said before she kissed him on the lips. James nodded to the other Marines before he snapped his fingers and opened a Gate back to Canaan, the Marines stepped through to the outskirts of town where Fox was waiting.

"You get everything squared away?" Fox asked as he leaned against the Humvee, James nodded as they climbed into their designated vehicles. James started the Humvee up while the Super Stallion rose into the sky and the Abrams roared to life, the Humvee pulled onto the dirt road and drove toward the convoy that was already en-route to Mismede. The Abrams sped ahead of the convoy and took up the lead as they crossed the border into the Kingdom of Mismede, Ramirez kept the barrel of the M2HB on a swivel as he watched for potential ambushes; the roar of the Super Stallions rotors overhead drowned out the rumble of the tank's engine.

"Man, this shit with the dickbag in the trunk is some fucked up shit." Ramirez said via their comms system, James nodded his head as he maintained the Humvee's speed "Yeah, I hope we can find their families, if not... then we can at least give them a nice place to live in the castle." James said as he thought about all the things that have happened. "I don't know, man, I feel like this is gonna messy." Ramirez said with a sigh as he looked up into the sky. James couldn't help but chuckle "War isn't a beautiful thing, it's ugly. It's brutal, messy, and horrific." James said as the convoy continued down the road. After what felt like hours of driving, James noticed the sun was beginning to set below the horizon "We're gonna stop up ahead for the night; Victoria, I want you to go scout ahead and do a perimeter circle." James said through their throat comms.

James pulled out of the convoy and sped up alongside the carriage that Touya was in, the convoy came to a stop as the Abrams stopped ahead of them "Hey Olga, what was the next place we were going to stop at?" James asked through the passenger window. "Eld Village, but it seems we couldn't reach it before dusk." Olga said as she looked out over the horizon. "Right, let's go ahead and set up camp over there." James said before the convoy pulled off the road and into a clearing. James, Ramirez, and Pearson got to work setting up the campsite with some materials left over from the last campsite; the Marines had a fire started and burning within minutes of it being built.

An hour past as the sun had finally sunk below the horizon, Austin and Fox had finally returned from their scouting mission in the Super Stallion; the Marines and the members of the convoy sat around the fire as the sound of the engines powering down filled the area "So, it looks like there's village about fifteen miles up the road. It's a pretty straight shot so if we wake up early and hit the road, we'll make it there by 0900 hours." Victoria said as she pointed to the road on James's phone, both Garn and Lyon stared in amazement "My god, what is this tiny cartographer?" Garn asked amazed, James chuckled "This is just my phone, you think this is amazing? Just wait until we get my inter-atmospheric satcom array into the air." James said as he put his phone into his pocket.

Garn stared at him blankly as he had no idea what the Marine just said "Oh, uh... it'll let me see things happening far away in real time." James said as he tried to explain it, Garn nodded "Hmm, I can't wait to see it. What will you be using it for?" Garn asked, James didn't look away from the fire as he answered "Coordinate bombing runs on Sandora." James said, Touya almost choked on his water and started coughing "You're gonna do what?!" Touya exclaimed, James shook his head "They started this war, I'm just gonna finish it." James said as he poked a log with a long stick. "You're talking about the deaths of hundreds if not thousands of people, and you say this like it's nothing." Touya said in disbelief.

"Are you saying you're in favor of slavery? You hear that Fox?" James asked as he looked at Corporal Fox, Fox shook his head as Touya fumbled his words "Wait, no, that's not... *sigh*... what's your plan?" Touya asked defeated, James smirked as he sat up straight. "Glad you asked Tofu, the plan is to move in under the cover of darkness, extract the slaves, put down anyone who try to stop us, and then hit the locations with bombing runs, drone strikes, gunship strafe runs, and strategic missile strikes." James explained, Touya sat down and thought about the plan James proposed. "Alright, count me in. I'll do whatever I can to help." Touya said as he stood up and extended his hand to the Marine marksman. James stood up and grasped Touya's hand firmly before he shook the teen's hand and almost dislocated the teen's shoulder.

"Glad to know you're on board." James said as he sat down, he looked over at Ramirez who sat next to Lain; James nodded to Ramirez who nodded back before he stretched his arms out and slowly put one behind Lain's back, Lain couldn't help but giggle before she laid her head against Ramirez's chest. 'Fuck yes!' James yelled mentally as he tried to keep straight face. "So phase two will be after the bombing run, which main function would be to stun and disorient them before we move in on foot and take them out one by one." James continued, he stood up and walked over to an open space "But first, I want to fill you guys in on some information." James said before he snapped his fingers and triggered a Gate to open.

Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn walked out of the Gate with the four girls in tow "I'd like to introduce you to Marilla & Zaleria who are twins, Minerva, and Camilla." James said as he introduced them from left to right. Fox had gone to the Humvee and returned with the gagged shopkeeper that he tossed onto the ground. "They were being held captive by this assclown, he bought them from the Black Phantom Company and buys gems from The Jade Wraiths which is the only reason he's still alive, so he can set up a meeting with the Wraiths, I can find there mines, and liberate them from the people they've enslaved there." James explained, the convoy members looked horrified as they stared at the gagged shopkeeper.

"My god! We'll take him into custody immediately!" Lyon said as he stood up, James held his hand up and stopped Lyon "I'm gonna stop ya right there, chief. We need him to be the face of the meeting." James explained as Fox picked up the shopkeeper and carried him back to the Humvee. "I can't believe that monster was living cozily with these girls imprisoned in our kingdom." Lyon said in disbelief, Minerva stepped forward and cleared her throat "There's actually a lot of sex slaves brought into Belfast that are bought from either groups of slavers or from Sandora. I was bought from the Black Phantom Company while Camilla was bought in Venzor, a town in Sandora." Minerva explained, Garn shook his head "This is completely unacceptable, we will not let this stand." Garn said as he slammed his fist into his hand.

"Well if you wanna help out, we could use some people who can keep their ears to the ground and let us know of what's happening in the world of the black market." James said, Garn nodded understandingly "Consider it done, James." Garn said as he stood up and slammed his fist into his chest. Suddenly, Lain shot up and looked around concerned "What's wrong, Lain?" Ramirez asked, Lain shook her head "Something is headed this way and it's BIG." Lain said, James nodded to Pearson who took off toward the Abrams. Suddenly, a large flying figure erupted over the tree line and circled the area "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" Fox yelled, James gritted his teeth as he snapped his fingers "It's dead is what it is." James said as a Gate opened behind him.

Yae and Elze ran out of the carriage as James bolted toward the Humvee, he opened the rear hatch, grabbed his Scar-H along with two M4a1s, punched the shopkeeper in the face, and closed the hatch again. James handed an M4 to Ramirez and Fox before he climbed into the gunner's seat and pulled back the charging bolt on the M2HB "Why is there a dragon here?" Olga yelled confused, Touya turned and faced the demi-human "Is it unusual for a dragon to be here?" Touya asked unsure, Olga nodded "Dragons normally live in the sanctuary grounds in the middle of this country." Olga explained. "That place is the territory of the dragons and no one is allowed to enter, the dragons won't go out and terrorize people unless someone intrudes their territory... that's how it's supposed to work." Olga said as she watched the dragon fly through the sky.

"Is someone trespassing in the sanctuary ground?" Garn asked as he readied his sword. 'Put that away, you're just gonna piss it off.' James thought as he followed the dragon's flight path with the barrel of the M2HB. "No, it isn't always because of that. Once every few years, a few young dragons will appear in our settlements and terrorize people. The others won't avenge any dragons that left the sanctuary ground, even when we kill them. Because they are the intruder in this case." Olga explained. 'Hmm, no vengeful dragons... that's a relief.' James thought to himself.

"Is it possible to beat a dragon?" Touya asked, James chuckled a little as he maintained his sightline on the dragon "Toyota, I got about 800 rounds of Armor Piercing .50 BMG along with an M107 Anti-Material Rifle, an M1A2 Abrams with a 120mm smoothbore gun and a 12.7mm Coaxial-Heavy Machine Gun, a CH-53E Super Stallion with 2 GAU-17 Miniguns and an M2HB in the rear, and finally an M777 Howitzer. I'd say we've got an advantage." James said as he continued to track the dragon.

"We'd need one hundred of our best soldiers for it to have a possibility to defeat it." Garn said, Touya nodded as he pulled out his phone "So, it is that strong, huh... What the? That dragon is going toward Eld Village." Touya said as he tracked it on google maps. "Touya, get these people to safety. Let's move out, Warlords!" James yelled before Ramirez climbed into the driver's seat, Lain ran up to the door and placed her hands on Ramirez's "Please come back to me, promise me you'll come back." She said before she kissed him on the cheek. "Hey, hate to interrupt a moment but we gotta move!" Fox yelled from the door gunner of the Super Stallion as the turbines were spinning up.

Ramirez rubbed Lain's head affectionately "Don't worry, I always keep my promises." Ramirez said as he started the Humvee up, Lain stepped back before the Humvee sped off toward Eld Village alongside the Abrams that mowed down foliage in its path. The Humvee and Abrams roared over the hill and down toward the town that was engulfed in flames, the Super Stallion lowered its altitude and used the helicopter's vertical streamtube to fan the flames of the burning homes. "Damn it, I wish we had more Marines here." James said as he leaped out of the gunner's seat and sprinted toward the burning homes "Alright, let's do this! Rain fall, Pure blessing, Heavenly Rain!" James chanted as he held his hands out toward the town, thunder rumbled through the sky as black clouds formed over the town.

Water droplets fell from the sky drop by drop until it was raining like a monsoon, the water hit the roaring flames and slowly extinguished the blaze as Touya, Garn, Lyon, Yae, Linze, and Elze arrived along with the other guard to help evacuate people. "Alright, teams of four people, go house to house and search for survivors. Linze, use your water magic to take out any remaining fires, Elze, uses your boost ability to smash apart the debris if its blocking survivors from getting out." James said as he climbed back into the Humvee. He slammed the roof of the Humvee before it tore down the dirt road and chased the dragon "It's circling back!" Ramirez said as he looked out of the window of the Humvee.

James spun the turret around and squeezed the trigger on the M2HB, the barrel erupted with flashes of light as shell casings flew from the Heavy Machine Gun as bullets ripped through the sky and hit their target. The dragon roared as it turned around and chased after the Humvee "Touya! You have to help them!" Linze exclaimed, Touya exhaled slowly as he held his hand up and followed the dragon "Strike true light! Sparkling Holy Lance: Shining Javelin!" Touya chanted before a beam of light erupted from his hand and grazed the dragon, the dragon turned its head and shot a fireball toward Touya who used [Boost] to run away from the fireball.

"LET'S GO! Come on, you over-sized gecko!" James yelled as he peppered the side of the dragon and got its attention. The Humvee roared down the road and away from the town with the dragon in tow, the dragon shot a fireball that hit the ground fifteen feet shy of the Humvee. Ramirez swerved and drove in a serpentine pattern as James continued to fire, the dragon was about to fire again when it got hit by three large explosions from the side and a barrage of bullets that ate away at it scales; James watched as the Super Stallion took evasive action and banked right as it followed the Humvee.

Ramirez took a right as they entered the clearing and circled around as James maintained a sporadic gunfire at the dragon, the dragon flew toward the ground and tried to ram the Humvee but Ramirez managed to swerve out of the dragon's path as another rocket hit it from the side. The dragon swooped upwards and flapped hovered in place as it seemed to be charging another fireball, suddenly a loud boom erupted from the treeline as a projectile hit the dragon in the chest and exploded. The explosion disoriented the dragon as the M1A2 Abrams drove out of the treeline and joined the Humvee "Sorry it took me a while to get here, I couldn't necessarily plow through their homes." Pearson said via their comms.

Touya and Linze bolted out of the foliage on the back of a white tiger that slid to a stop and roared at the dragon "Jesus, it's like a painting at a Japanese restaurant." Ramirez said as he looked at the tiger and the dragon. "Yo Touya, what's with El Gato Blanco?" James asked, Touya looked at the tiger and then back at James "Uhh, I'll explain in a bit but long story short... cat god." Touya said before the tiger spoke to him. "If that's the case, I also won't hold back." Touya said as he glared at the dragon. "Talk to me, Toyo Tires, what's going on?" James asked as he loaded a fresh box mag. "This dragon is essentially doing this for fun." Touya explained.

"Pearson! Switch to a HEAT round followed by a Sabot round, shake and bake. Austin, circle around hit it from the side and the back with a salvo followed by a barrage from the door gun" James said as he gave the orders. "Roger!" The Marines said one by one as they swiftly got to work. "You wanna play? Alright, then you can play with the Marine Corps." James said the Humvee took off to the right and circled the area, a barrage of rockets hit the side of the dragon and caused it to drop in altitude as a 120mm HEAT round nailed it square in the chest. Linze held her staff up along with another hand "Come forth water! Feel my blade, both cold and clear! Aqua Cutter!" Linze chanted before a blade of water sliced through the dragons wing as a barrage of javelins made of lights rained down above it.

The dragon charged an attack in its jaws as it took aim at Linze, Touya tackled Linze out of the way as a Sabot round hit the dragon in the side; the force of the impact caused the charged attack to fly off into the sky, the Humvee came to a stop as James lined up the M2's sights with the dragon's head. James was about to squeeze the trigger when Yae leaped into the fray and slashed at the dragon's head followed by Elze who slammed her gauntlets into the side of its head, the two girls recoiled and retreated back to Touya's side as the dragon locked his gaze on them. "There." James said as he squeezed the trigger and fired the M2HB, the Armor Piercing round ripped through the dragon's right eye and sprayed blood everywhere as it roared in pain.

Touya sprinted toward the dragon and leaped through the air before he pulled out his sword and slashed downward at the dragon's head; the sword hit its mark and snapped in half, the dragon turned its one-eyed gaze toward Touya and charged an attack as Touya landed. Suddenly, a stray knife erupted from out of nowhere and hit the dragon in the other eye, rendering it completely blind. "Touya! Now!" James yelled. "Slip!" Touya yelled as he held his hand up and caused the dragon to lose all traction with the ground; the dragon slammed to the ground and left its underside exposed. "Now! FIRE!" James yelled through the comms before all guns fired at the single target, a salvo of rockets rained down onto the dragon as the barrel of the Abrams lobbed shell after shell down range.

James fired a steady stream of Armor Piercing .50 Cal BMG down range that ripped through the dragon's soft hide, after about thirty seconds of sustained fire, James radioed a ceasefire. Slowly, the smoke cleared and revealed the dragon still on its side "Did we get it?" Ramirez asked as the Humvee crept closer. Suddenly, the dragon roared as it tried to stand up and attack them; Ramirez threw the Humvee into reverse and backed up. "Come forth Ice! Eternal frozen ridge: Ice Wall." Linze chanted before a wall of ice formed in front of Touya, the boy held his hands up and chanted multiple spells "Modeling. Multiple. Strike true light! Sparkling holy lance: Shining Javelin!" Touya chanted.

Multiple spell runes formed in the air behind the now semi-dome shaped wall of ice, the light javelins all fired simultaneously into the ice dome; the concentrated light compounded and turned into one beam of energy that pierced through the dragon and ripped out the other side. The Humvee pulled up alongside the dragon's body, James pointed the barrel down at the dragon's head and fired three rounds into the soft tissue around its head. The rounds ripped through with ease and sprayed blood onto the ground "I guess the barrage finally softened it up." James said as he disconnected the spent box mag, attached a fresh box, and fed the belt through the receiver before he pulled back the charging handle.

"So, we just killed a fucking dragon... neat." James said as he hopped out of the turret and examined the dragon's hide. "Man, these are some hard scales. This is some serious shit." James said as he examined one of the broken scales on the ground. James felt his molle vest for a moment before he unfastened the side and pulled out a black plate "Whatcha thinkin', Gunny?" Ramirez asked as he stepped out of the Humvee. James tossed the black plate onto the ground before he held his hand over the scale "Modeling." James chanted, the two Marines watched as the scale changed shape and turned into a ballistic plate. James slid the new plate into his vest and fastened the molle vest again before he took a few steps back "Ramirez, I trust you with my life so you're the only one I trust with this: Shoot me in the chest." James said.

Touya looked stunned as he looked back and forth at James and Ramirez "Wait, are you serious?" Touya asked confused, Ramirez chuckled "He is." Ramirez said before he raised his rifle and fired a single round, the M4's report echoed through the silent valley as everyone watched stunned. James looked down at the vest and flicked off the squished 5.56mm "Didn't feel a thing." James said as he pulled the plate from the vest and examined it carefully "Not even so much a scratch." James stated as he slid the plate back in. James and Ramirez got to work harvesting some of the scales from the dragon, they created a neat stack of scales that James then transported back to the castle via a Gate.

James stepped out of the Gate and placed the scales down on his workbench in the weapon's shop, James walked out of the shop and ran up the stairs of the castle walls to survey his domain; he looked down and saw Cerberus curled up next to the wall "Oi! Cerberus!" James called down to the three-headed demon dog, Cerberus stood up and stretched before it started to wag its tail. James leapt off the wall and landed on the ground before Cerberus who licked him with one of the three heads, anyone could summon a three-headed demon dog like Cerberus but this Cerberus... was different. This Cerberus stood at roughly seven feet tall and was as big as a small bus, Cerberus laid on the ground so James could rub its heads.

James tilted his head as he felt something strange emanating from Cerberus's aura "Uhh... Cerberus, can you talk?" James asked as he rubbed the demon dog's head. The head on the far right raised up and looked at James with intrigue 'Yes, is there something you wish to know?' A deep, demonic voice asked inside James's mind. "Yeah... you're not like other summoned creatures are you?" James asked, Cerberus slowly stood up and stretched before it sat down before James. 'Nope, I'm like that white tiger that the boy has. It's called the White Monarch, it's the 'King of Beasts' supposedly.' Cerberus said in a sarcastic tone as all three heads stared at James.

"So, if you're like the white tiger, then what are you?" James asked, Cerberus exhaled slowly as it stood up and let out a ferocious and deep bark, birds fled the area and animals scurried for safety as two Demon Lords rose out of the ground. 'I guess you could say I'm the Hellfire Monarch, king of the demonic creatures.' Cerberus said before the Demon Lords faded from existence. "Wow, so since we never formally made a contract, why have you stuck around?" James asked confused, one of Cerberus's heads seemed to be gagging on something before it spat up a piece of armor.

'You let me eat humans, and keep me fed.' Cerberus said which caused James to chuckle "Eh, what can I say, it's less work for us." James said as he patted Cerberus's side. "So, I want to make a contract with you. What are your requests?" James asked, Cerberus stepped closer to James and showed its teeth to the Marine who just stared back at the demon dog. James placed his hand on the dog's head and poured some of his power into the creature, the powered seemed to overwhelm the three-headed beast as it yielded to the Marine. 'Keep the same arrangements, feed me your enemies and I'll protect you and your family.' Cerberus said.

'Now master, I require a name for this contract to be complete.' Cerberus said as he stood tall and proud. James thought for a moment before a named popped into his mind "How about Azazel? It's the name of a demon from where I'm from." James explained, Cerberus thought for a moment before it knelt in front of the Marine. 'I will be henceforth known as Azazel.' The three-headed dog said as it pleaded its loyalty to the Marine.

"Awesome, now with that said... is there anyway you can shrink?" James asked as he looked up at the three-headed beast. Within a blink of an eye, Azazel shrunk from a seven-foot-tall, three-headed demon dog to a cuddly three-headed dog the size of Golden Retriever puppy. James picked the dog up and rest him on his shoulder before he walked back into the castle where Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn were at along with the four girls that James rescued from Canaan. "You girls want to go to Mismede?" James asked as he snapped his fingers and opened a Gate behind him. The girls lit up like a sunny day as they passed through the Gate portal to the other side, James walked through to Eld Village where the members of the convoy conversed around the corpse of the dragon.

"Hey guys, what'd I miss?" James asked as he walked up to the group, the white tiger glared at Azazel on James' shoulders with an angry scowl "Yo, your cat is glaring at my dog." James said to Touya. "This is Kohaku, he's not a big fan of three headed dogs." Touya said as he tried to cover up the bad aura in the air. Suddenly, a large presence was felt by everyone except for Touya and the Marines as another dragon flew overhead. "Oh god damn it!" The Marines exclaimed simultaneously.

**A/N: Hey hey! Hope you enjoyed this chapter of In Another World With A Marine, sorry it took so long to write; I wrote most of it during my down time at work so I'm sorry if it seems rushed in parts as I was probably half asleep when I wrote those parts. Anyway, thank you for reading, Remember to Favorite, Follow, and leave a Review telling me what you thought, and as always, this is Nightmare 6-4, signing off.**


	6. Chapter 6: Cry Havoc!

Ch. 6 – Cry Havoc

**In Another World with My Smartphone is owned by AT-X, Tokyo MX, and BS11, I only own the OCs. Semper Fidelis, Oorah!**

James and the Marines stared at the large dragon that hovered above them, waiting to see what its next move would be. 'Relax, it doesn't want a fight.' Azazel said telepathically to James as the Marine kept his hand on the revolver in its holster.

"I have no intention to fight, it seems a brethren of mine has made a nuisance. My apologies." The large dragon said as it hovered overhead. "Woah! You can talk?" Touya asked as he stared up at the dragon. 'We both have Monarchs and this is what surprises you?' James thought to himself.

"I am the red dragon who oversees The Sanctuary Ground, I came to bring back the reckless dragon, but apparently I'm too late." The red dragon said as he looked over the deceased dragon. The White Tiger changed forms from its small, innocent form to its full tiger form as it stared down the dragon. 'Can I go?' Azazel asked, James chuckled before he sat the three-headed dog down.

Azazel walked toward the dragon and the White Tiger as it took its full form and towered over the White Tiger "Tell this to the "Blue Monarch" when you meet that dragon. 'You'd best educate your retainer properly.'" The White Tiger said to the red dragon that hovered overhead. "What? This presence… this can't be, are you the White Monarch? Why are you in such a place?! And you… devil, the so called 'Hellfire Monarch'." The red dragon said as he looked at Kohaku and Azazel.

"This one is no Monarch, he's but a creature who thought himself a god." Kohaku said as he maintained his glare at the dragon. "Hmph, says the over glorified kitten. You may be the 'King of the Beasts.' But I'm the King of the Devils." Azazel said as the right head faced Kohaku. "Alright you two, cut it out." James said as he stepped between the two Monarchs.

"Sorry master." Azazel said apologetically as he shrunk back to his puppy size. James picked Azazel up and handed him to Naomi who rubbed his three heads, the Marine approached the dragon who had landed and lowered his head "I humbly request you pardon my insolent manner. Also, about the matter of that black dragon, I wish you show us your mercifulness." The red dragon pleaded. James was about to speak when Touya pushed past him "But only for this time, okay? Make sure you warn the young ones so something like this doesn't happen again." Touya said as he forgave the red dragon. The dragon bowed its head "Yes, as you wish. I'll return immediately to the sanctuary ground and convey this message to everyone." The red dragon said before he took off into the sky. James turned around and saw that the girls were on the ground looking up at Touya and the Marines stunned "What's wrong?" Touya asked as he looked at them confused.

"What's wrong is that... we couldn't move." Elze said as her body trembled. "Were you fine that whole time, Touya?" Linze asked shaken. "Completely." Touya said nonchalantly as James helped Naomi and the other girls off the ground. "Is everyone alright?" James asked as he took Azazel from Naomi and put him on the ground, Azazel grew in size slightly so he was about the size of grown Labrador Retriever. Marilla and Zaleria walked over to Azazel to pet him, their hands scratched his neck through his purple fur while his tail wagged happily; the Marines regrouped with the Gunnery Sergeant who gazed at the town that had smoke rising into the sky. James pulled his phone out and typed 'Injured people' into the map, seconds later multiple dots popped up on the screen; James tapped away at the dots before he held his hand over his phone "Come forth, Light! Calm of the Goddess: Mega Heal." James chanted before sigils of light formed in the sky and shot beams of light down toward the injured people.

One by one, the villagers were healed by the magic that rained down from the heavens above "Awesome, now only if we had an army core of engineers here to help rebuild the houses." Pearson said with a chuckle. James cleared his throat before he whistled for Azazel, the Hellfire Monarch walked over and sat down next to his master, one head looked up at him while the other two watched the town below. "Hey Azazel, can you summon some creatures of your domain to help rebuild?" James asked. 'Can I? Please, that's nothing.' Azazel said telepathically before the middle head howled loudly, black sigils formed on the ground before eight Demon Lords and six Lizardmen rose out of the ground.

Azazel faced the newly summoned creatures and increased his size to his full form, two of the heads growled deeply before the third barked loudly; the demon lords stood up and slammed their fists into their chests alongside the lizardmen 'At your command, sir.' Azazel said telepathically to James who nodded. "Alright, split into seven teams of two and go through city, help the people rebuild their homes. If one of you try to hurt them, Azazel will rip you to shreds." James said as he ordered the summoned creatures, the creatures slammed their fists into their chests before they split up and moved into the town. The Marines followed behind them as they entered the town, James watched as two Demon Lords approached a villager who was struggling to move some lumber. The man was terrified at their presence as they moved closer, he closed his eyes as they reached for the man and took the beam from him; the man opened his eyes slowly and saw the two Demon Lords lift the lumber that was blocking the entrance to his home.

"Oh my god, this is amazing." The villager said as the Demon Lords continued to remove debris and started to rebuild some of the houses that weren't too far gone. After an hour and a half of work, most of the homes were rebuilt mostly and the summoned creatures were dismissed, save for three Demon Lords who made a contract with the village chieftain at the order of Azazel and James. The Demon Lords were tasked with protecting the town from bandits and thugs in exchange for an offering of a sacrificial goat; with everything sorted, the convoy lined up and readied itself to move again "What are you going to do with that dragon?" Garn asked, Touya looked confused "What do you mean?" Touya asked perplexed.

"I mean, just think of the raw materials! If you sold them, you could generate a large sum of money." Garn said as he examined the scales closely. "I can sell them? I can sell the entire dragon's corpse?" Touya asked. "Materials from a dragon can be used to craft weapons or armor. In short, you can sell any part of it for a high price." Garn explained. "The one who has the right to deal with it is the nine of you who have defeated it but, the other three entrust this matter to you, Touya, so its up to the six of you." Garn said as he crossed his arms while the Marines deliberated. James nodded as Ramirez and Pearson gave their two cents, James moved over to the dragon and ripped off one of the scales "Modeling." James said as he held his hand over the scale, the scale glowed briefly before it turned into a long, razor sharp, black blade. "Protection. Enchant: Power Rise. Boost." James said as he enchanted the newly formed blade.

James moved over to the tail, he lined the blade up with the meeting point between the tail and the body, he raised the blade over his head before he swung downward and sliced through the dragon's tail like warm butter, James stabbed the blade into the ground before he grabbed the tail "Power Rise!" James chanted before his body glowed as he picked up the tail "Storage!" James said again before a portal opened, James placed the tail into the storage portal before it closed behind him. "Alright, they can have the rest." James said as he picked up the newly created sword. "So, whatcha gonna name the blade?" Ramirez asked as James held the blade.

"Hmm, Dragon's Bane." James said as he placed the blade into the Humvee, "What did you enchant the blade with?" Fox asked as he looked at the black blade that sat in the passenger seat. "Boost and Power Rise. The wielder's overall strength and speed increase tenfold when wielding it. I also cast protection on it so the blade won't break, that's how I sliced through the tail with ease." James explained. "Speaking of protection, where the fuck is Touya?" James asked as he looked around, he noticed an elderly person walking toward them. "I'm looking for the commander of the demons that helped us start the rebuilding process." The old man asked. "Yo! What's up?" James asked as he approached the man along with Azazel. "We wanted to thank you for defending our village with your metal beasts, what is your name?" The old man asked, James ego seemed to peak for a moment before he opened his mouth "My name is James 'Kraken' Murphy, Kraken is my nickname. And this is Azazel, the envoy of the devil." James said as he rubbed Azazel's left head.

"You have our thanks, Kraken and Azazel. My name is Solum, the village chief. We wanted to give you one of the dragon's horns as thanks for defending the village and donating such valuable resources, it's the least we could do." Solum said as the younger man presented the horn to James, but James shook his head "I appreciate it, but I think Touya could use it more than I could. Besides, I took the dragon's tail which is more than enough for myself and my team." James said gesturing to the Marines behind him, Pearson was reloading the coaxial guns while Fox was pulling tree limbs out of the tracks while simultaneously yelling at Pearson.

"They're good people, honestly. We're on our way to the Capital of Mismede; but Solum, I have a request for you." James said as he approached the village elder, the elder nodded his head as he looked up at the marksman. "So, in the months coming, I'll be going to war against the Kingdom of Sandora and I want to know if I can store a metal dragons here as well as massive weapons that are capable of hitting locations that are far away." James said as he described Reaper drones and Cruise Missiles in terms they'd understand.

"After you saved our village? It's the least we could do." Solum said as he shook James's hand. James turned around and returned to the Marines as Solum presented the dragon's horn to Touya who humbly accepted it since his sword broke during the fight with the dragon, James looked around and noticed Azazel had increased his size so Marilla and Zaleria could ride on his back while they boarded the back of the Super Stallion with Minerva and Camilla to get comfortable with the helicopter before the convoy left. James walked away from the tank in search of Touya who seemed to be M.I.A. He rounded the corner of one of the carriages and found him asleep on the ground with his head in Yumina's lap while the Elze, Linze, and Yae watched on in envy.

"Hey girls, what's going on?" James asked as he walked up to the three girls, the three girls looked at James and then back at Touya "How do we do it, James? How do we get like what you have with Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn?" Elze asked shyly, James looked at them stunned before he started to back away slowly. "Alright, so I'm not the best person to ask about this. What I can say though is that he's still young, he's still learning about himself and he'll come around. But, if you want to get your points across, you'll have to make the first move, like Yumina for instance." James said as he gestured to the blonde girl who knelt on the ground. The girls seemed slightly disheartened which James picked up on immediately "Alright, I tell you what, I know a song that will convey your feeling perfectly that some of the Marines and I know. We'll sing it once we get to our destination." James said as he made a promise to the three girls who seemed to long for Touya to acknowledge their feelings.

Linze lit up like a firework in the night sky as the thought of Touya noticing her feelings filled her mind, which caused her to get flustered and blush uncontrollably. "Alright, when he wakes up, tell him it's time to leave." James said before he turned and made his way back to the Humvee. Touya began to stir as the Abrams roared to life and the Super Stallion's turbines warmed up slowly "Have you woken up?" Yumina asked as she blushed lightly, Touya shot up like a bolt of lightning as he distanced himself from Yumina's thighs. Touya turned around and found the three girls staring at him with envious eyes "It was a good sleep." Elze said as she looked at him coldly, Linze nodded her head "I bet." She said mono-toned. "He seemed to enjoy it." Yae said as she seemed disheartened.

"Oi! Hate to break up the little meeting but we gotta keep moving! Now!" James yelled from the Humvee as the Super Stallion lifted into the air and the Abrams pulled out onto the main road, James closed the door of the Humvee and pulled up behind a few carriages as the convoy got back on the road. As the convoy drove, the lush green grass was slowly replaced by a sea of sand that seemed to go on for an eternity, stone pillars lined the road that seemed very similar to the ones from ancient Assyrian city in Iraq "Heh, it looks like the Assyrian ruins from Iraq that those goat fuckers destroyed." Ramirez said as he studied the craftsmanship of the pillars.

As the convoy continued into the Kingdom of Mismede, a large structure came into view that looked bizarrely familiar "Is that the fucking Taj Mahal?!" Ramirez asked confused, James shook his head with a chuckle "Nah, this one looks a lot better than one of the 'Seven Wonders of the New World'." James said as the rest of the structure came into view; the carriages pulled into the courtyard of the Capital City of Berge while the Humvee and the Abrams pulled into the sand. James felt this anticipation and adrenaline fill his body as his grip tightened on the steering wheel, James shifted the Humvee into neutral and revved the engine multiple times before he threw it into Drive, the V8 engine roared loudly as the Humvee tore through the sand and flew over sand dunes with ease. James slammed his foot on the brake and caused the Humvee to drift through the sand before he pressed the pedal again caused the RPM meter to almost red line.

"Wooooooo!" James yelled as the Humvee screamed across the desert and ripped up sand behind them, he hit the brake again and drifted the Humvee around so he was facing the Capital; James shuddered with exhilaration as he drove the Humvee back toward the Capital and parked next to the Abrams "You get that out of your system?" Pearson asked as he leaped to the ground below, James nodded as he cut the engine off and stepped out of the Humvee. The Marines looked up toward the top of the building as the Super Stallion circled and slowly landed behind them, the Marines ran for cover as the Super Stallion blew sand in all directions "Oh god, it's in my mouth!" Pearson yelled as he started to spit wildly. Ramirez pulled on his goggles from his helmet and pulled up the tan bandanna that was around his neck over his mouth while James lifted the Shemagh that around his neck and covered his face to keep the sand out as the Super Stallion's blades finally slowed down.

The sand slowly settled as James and the Marines stood up, the back of the Super Stallion opened as Lance Corporal Austin and Corporal Fox walked down the ramp followed by Ayumi, Naomi, Shelyn, Minerva, and Camilla while Marilla and Zaleria rode on the back of Azazel. 'Aww, you're so good with kids.' James said telepathically to Azazel who looked at him with one head 'I swore to protect your family, master.' Azazel said as they walked into the Capital. The Marines kept their weapons pointed toward the ground while Touya's group walked in front of them along with Olga and some of the Mismede guard, Olga took a knee in front of a man with a white beard who sat on a throne.

The group followed suit and knelt before the king of Mismede "My lord, I, Olga Strand have returned from the Kingdom of Belfast." Olga said as she knelt before the king. "Hmm, well done. Garn and also the Knights of Belfast. I'm glad that you all were able to escort Olga safely as expected." The king said as he thanked the guardsmen. The king scanned the groups before him, his eyes landing on the strange dress attire of the Marines "You all are the people that the King of Belfast sent? I heard that your group defeated the dragon that attacked Eld Village during your journey here, is that true?" The king asked.

Yumina stood and faced the king of Mismede with a strong complexion "Yes, you have heard correctly. These nine people besides me had killed The Black Dragon that attacked the village." Yumina proclaimed as she gestured to Touya's group and the Marines. "Hmm, curious, what strange attire does that one wear?" The king asked as he looked at James and the rest of 2nd Battalion. James stood up and slowly approached the king "Hello sir, my name is Gun-" James started to say but Royal Guards quickly surrounded him with spears pointed at his neck, the other Marines shot up and raised their weapons, their sights leveling onto each of the guards that surrounded the Marine.

"Stand down, Marines." James said as he held his hands up "Easy guys, it's just like Kabul and Ashraf Ghani. Remember what his golden rule was." James said as words of President of Afghanistan resonated through his mind 'When you enter a man's kingdom, place the olive branch on the table, but keep your gun ready.' The voice said in his mind. The Marines lowered their weapons and backed up a few steps "Stand down." The king announced, slowly the guardsmen backed away and returned to their positions by the throne.

"Hello sir, I'm Gunnery Sergeant James Murphy of the United States Marine Corps. This attire is our traditional combat uniform, we wear this into battle along with our weapons and vehicles." James said as he introduced himself. The king nodded slowly "I see... and who might you be?" The king asked as he looked at Yumina. "Pardon my late introduction, I'm the daughter of Tristwin Ernes Belfast, the King of the Kingdom of Belfast, Yumina Ernea Belfast." Yumina said as she introduced herself.

"My... why is the Princess of Belfast here in my kingdom?" The king asked confused. "To show just how important we consider the alliance with Mismede. Here is a letter from my father, I humbly ask you to read what he has written." Yumina said as she presented a sealed letter to the king of Mismede. The king took the letter from the princess and carefully read it to himself before he folded it again "I see, so that's how it is. Give me time to consider what is written here and I'll give my response soon enough. Until then, feel free to make yourself at home in my palace." The king announced as he handed the letter to his assistant.

"Now then, we can stop the formalities right here." The king said as he extended his hand. "There's something that I've been wanting to ask... Is that white tiger yours?" The king asked, Yumina nodded "Yes, it's Touya's, it's sort of his servant." Yumina said before Kohaku let out a tiny roar. "I see, so a White-Tiger-Taming-Hero defeated a dragon. _*Chuckles* _It's been a while since my blood has boiled like this." The king said which caused the Marines to instinctively reach for their weapons.

James stood up and looked at the king while Azazel seemed to grow slightly larger "And you... the curious one, the Cerberus with you, seems... different. Care to explain?" The king asked, James chuckled "Not particularly. This is Azazel, he's my hellhound." James said as he rubbed one of Azazel's heads. "Interesting, how about this, you two; wanna spar with me?" The king asked which elicited two different responses "Huh?" Touya asked confused "Hell yes!" James exclaimed excitedly. "Wait, we never got your name." Ramirez said as he stood up along with the other Marines. "Ah yes, I am Jamukha Blau Mismede." The king said as he formally introduced himself. "Alright, now we can whoop each other's ass." James said as he cracked his knuckles.

Touya and Jamukha stood across from one another as a man with large wings on his back served as the match advisor, James stood near the top of the arena and watched the three individuals talking "You gonna go in?" Ramirez asked as he leaned against a wall and watched the arena below. "Just a moment, it's all about making an entrance." James said before he used the Null spell [Speaker] on his phone and projected a large speaker made of light over the arena. James pressed play on a song before he handed the phone to Ramirez, slowly the sound of fire burning filled the air followed by the sound of a lone church bell. Touya and Jamukha looked around confused as an electric guitar riff came through accompanied by the heavy beat of drums, James appeared from the shadows as horns accompanied the ensemble before the main riff took over. James quietly chanted to himself "Rise thus, Fire! Flaming Defenses: Fire Wall." James chanted silently.

**Shepherd of Fire - Avenged Sevenfold**

Suddenly, a large wall of fire erupted behind James as he moved out of the shadows, the fire gave the Marine an almost demonic look as he walked out of the shadows.

**Let's take a moment and break the ice**

**So my intentions are known**

**See I have pity in watching you suffer**

**I know the feeling of being damned alone**

**I've got a storybook of my own**

James moved closer to the group as the fire seemed to weaken behind him.

**Don't you see I am your pride, agent of wealth, bearer of needs**

**(And you know it's right)**

**I am your war, arming the strong, aiding the weak**

**Know me by name, Shepherd of Fire**

James raised his hand and signaled Ramirez to cut the audio, the ref looked at James who nodded as he readied himself "The match will last until one side receives an injury that would be fatal. Magic is also allowed, however, offensive magic aimed directly at your opponent is forbidden. Do all parties agree to these rules?" The ref asked, the three individuals nodded as the ref backed away. "Don't you dare hold back. Consider this a real fight, use all you have and try to defeat me!" Jamukha exclaimed as he lowered his body. 'Ready? Fight!" The ref announced. Touya raised his hand and spoke "Slip!" Touya said before Jamukha slammed to the ground from an upright position. Touya moved over and pointed the wooden sword at the king's neck "Alright, that's a wrap." Touya said as he held his hands up. "Wa-Wait a sec! This is not fair? What was that all about?" Jamukha asked confused.

"It's my Null spell [Slip], non-offensive magic isn't against the rules, right?" Touya said defensively. "No no no! That's cheating! You can't win by doing something like that!" Jamukha said irritated. "I want a rematch! But this time don't use that spell anymore!" Jamukha yelled, James rolled his eyes as he rested a wooden sword on his shoulder "Let's go already!" James yelled as he readied himself again. The winged man held up his hand momentarily "Fight!" The man yelled. "Come forth, sand! Obstructing dus-" Touya started to say before James bolted past him and swung upward at the king who leapt backward.

The king countered the Marine and attempted to slice down at James, the Marine raised the wooden sword up and blocked the king's strike before he drove his elbow into the King's nose; Jamukha stumbled backward to try and regain control but James sprinted toward the king and threw a roundhouse that narrowly grazed the king's head. "Heh, you're good I'll gi-" The king started to say before James rushed him again and unleashed a flurry of strikes. Jamukha blocked the strikes and dodged what he couldn't block "Accel." Jamukha said before he disappeared and appeared behind James in the blink of an eye.

James spun around and blocked a strike from Jamukha "Ha, I've got you now." James said as he lowered his body. "Accel." James whispered under his breath before he disappeared and reappeared behind Jamukha "Omae wa mou shindeiru." James said before struck Jamukha in the back of the head with the wooden sword's pommel. Jamukha winced hard as he stumbled, he quickly spun around and slashed at the Marine, James leapt back and used [Accel] again to put space between the two of them.

Meanwhile, the Marines watched from the stands next to Touya's group and some Mismede citizens who had gathered to watch "Come on, James! You got this!" Shelyn yelled which surprised both Ayumi and Naomi, "Wow, meeting him really made you more confident with yourself, huh?" Naomi asked as she hugged the wolfgirl, Shelyn giggled "Yeah, it's something about him that brings me out of my shell." Shelyn said before she kissed Naomi on the cheek.

"Boost." James said before sprinted toward the Beastman and raised his sword as to swing, Jamukha raised his wooden blade to block as James neared him "Accel." James whispered before he disappeared and reappeared behind Jamukha, the Marine wrapped his arm around the king's neck and put him into a rear naked choke hold with the edge of the wooden blade pressed into Jamukha's neck. "Game. Set. Match." James said before he released Jamukha from the grip. "I don't quite understand the meaning of those words but I guess I've lost." Jamukha said as he dropped his sword and shield.

"The winner is James and Touya!" The ref said as James tossed the wooden sword onto the ground; Jamukha approached the Marine and extended his hand "I didn't expect you can use [Accel] as well." Jamukha said as he shook James's hand. "Well, there's a lot of things you don't know about me." James said as he let go of the kings hand. "It seems that I had extreme confidence in my own spell, I must not let it happen again." Jamuhka said as he nodded his head subtly.

James dropped the wooden sword into the sand and made his way back to the stands where the other Marines were "So, now you got a new trick up your sleeve." Ramirez said as they followed the Gunnery Sergeant "But did you have to hit em' with the 'Fist of the North Star' reference?" Pearson asked as he chuckled mid sentence. James shrugged "Eh, I couldn't resist the temptation." James said as they started to leave the arena.

"James! Wait!" A voice called out from behind the Marines, James turned around to see Elze running toward him "James, where are you going? Are you staying for the banquet?" Elze asked, James shrugged "Well, it wasn't our initial plan as we were only tasked with escorting the envoy here." James explained in a mono-toned, Victoria elbowed him in the side and made him snap back into reality "But we'll stay and eat, I love me some good food." James said as he backtracked his statement faster than Usain Bolt.

"Great! And you can sing that song you mentioned." Elze said before she skipped away. James chuckled before he turned to Ramirez "Hey bud, got a favor to ask." James said with a grin, Ramirez looked at the Gunny and started to shake his head "Oh no! No, no, no!" Ramirez protested.

* * *

The Mismede gala was in full swing as the attendees conversed amongst one another while others enjoyed the food that was provided in abundance, everyone was dressed in traditional Mismede attire except the Marines who wore their Dress Blues, their ranks were on their arms including James's new Gunnery Sergeant insignia. Numerous medals and ribbons were displayed on the front of their dress jackets, James had a Bronze Star Medal and Ribbon, a Meritorious Service Medal and Ribbon, two Purple Heart Ribbons, a Silver Star Medal and Ribbon, two Distinguished Flying Cross Ribbons, a Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, an Iraq Campaign Medal, and a Medal of Honor Ribbon.

Ramirez wore the standard ribbon decoration along with a Meritorious Service Medal and Ribbon, a Purple Heart Ribbon and Medal, a Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, an Iraq Campaign Medal, and a Legion of Merit Ribbon. Fox, Pearson, and Austin all wore the standard Ribbons that most Marines wore with their dress blues; "You know we're supposed to wear our Civilian Evening Dress Uniforms, right?" Ramirez said as he stood next to James, James shrugged "Yeah, but they're so ugly. I like these better." James said as he stood at parade rest with his hands behind his back and his feet shoulder width apart.

"Yeah, that's true. I know Cunningham would have a coronary if he saw us." Ramirez said as he scanned the crowd. "Say, where did Ayumi, Naomi, Shelyn, and the girls go?" Ramirez asked, James shrugged "Minerva and Camilla took the twins back home since Minerva was worried something might happen. As for Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn; they went with Elze, Linze, and Yae to get dressed up for this little party." James explained.

Suddenly, James felt Victoria elbow him in the arm and gesture toward an entrance off to the right; Elze, Yae, Linze, Yumina, Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn had returned now wearing traditional Mismede dresses "Is it me or do those..." James started to ask "Yeah, India. Weird." Ramirez said as he looked at the apparel. James placed his dress cover on his head before he walked over to Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn "My god ladies, you look stunning." James said as he complimented his lovers. Yumina giggled before she looked at Touya "I wish the man I loved would compliment me sometime." She said passive-aggressively.

"Wow James, you outfit looks amazing, but what are these?" Ayumi asked as she pointed to his accommodations. "Oh, these are just medals and awards I received, most are from the field of battle." James said as he danced around explaining the term 'firefight' to them. "My word, I would have never guess you were such a highly decorated solider, James." Jamukha said as he placed his hands on his shoulders, James nodded before he pointed to the Medal of Honor around his neck "This is the most prestigious of all my medal, it's called the Medal of Honor. I got it for pushing my comrade out of the way of danger and taking an explosion spell to the chest. Luckily, my vest absorbed most of the damage." James said as he explained the time he shoved a Marine out of the way and took a rocket from an RPG-7 to the gut but it ended up being a dud.

"Oh wow! That's amazing." Shelyn said in astonishment, Jamukha shook his head "I sure hope they got the person who launched the spell." The king said in a perturbed manner, James chuckled "Oh yeah, there wasn't anything left of them." James explained as he pulled up a picture of him in a hospital bed giving a thumbs up while his abdomen was bruised badly with different shades of purple and black. Everyone was stunned at the sight while Jamukha was amazed at the magical device in his hand "My word, what is that magic item?!" Jamukha asked amazed, James turned his hand so the phone was facing him before he let it fall into the sleeve of his jacket, he turned his hand back around "What item?" James asked as his phone was now "gone".

"How did you do that? Was that a spell?" Linze asked amazed, James chuckled "Nope, simple sleight of hand." James said as he made his phone reappear. Jamukha and a few others clapped at his tiny performance as James placed his phone back into his pocket "So this is the ceremonial uniform of your military, the Marines?" Jamukha asked, James nodded slightly "Yeah, but the Marines aren't the only military we have. All together is the United States Armed Forces and then it goes Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. It's no specific order, Navy specializes in ocean-based warfare, Air Force handles air combat, Army handles land combat, and the Coast Guard protects the waters around our nation. The Marines are elite soldiers and this is our insignia." James said as he pointed to the golden insignia on his cover.

"The story of the emblem goes 'We stole the Eagle from the Air Force, the Anchor from the Navy, and the Rope from the Army. On the seventh day while god rested, we overran his perimeter, stole the globe, and we've been running the whole show ever since.' But that was just some story made up by the higher ups to increase troop moral." James said as he explained the 'story' behind the Marine insignia. "Hmm, interesting. You are a very interesting man, James." Jamukha said as he patted the Marine on the shoulder. "Yep, that's our James." Ayumi said as she pressed her body against his and kissed him on the cheek.

"Oh James, you said you were gonna sing a song for us for... for the you know what." Linze said as she coded her sentence, James sighed as Ramirez glared at him "Yeah JAMES." Ramirez said, putting emphasis on his name. "Fine, fine. Come on." James said as he walked toward a raised platform and pulled an acoustic guitar from his storage spell. "Alright, this is a song for a dense human being, like I'm talking denser than steel, from four individuals who want you to catch a freakin' hint." James said before he pulled a guitar pick out of his mouth. "Wait, how did he..." Fox was about to ask before Ramirez cut him off.

"Lost one of his molars in basic and never got it fixed so he kept a guitar pick in there, pretty dangerous but this is the guy who took an RPG rocket to the gut and walked it off." Ramirez said. "Pretty sure you need to mention it was a dud when you say that." Pearson said as they watched James tune his guitar. "Anyway, here's Wonderwall." James said, the room was silent except for Pearson and Fox who started laughing. "Sorry, that was a joke for those two. Alright, the real song." James said before he started to strum the guitar.

**Lifehouse - Hanging By A Moment (****.'s so its easier to read/sing ie chorus/verse)**

**Desperate for changing, Starving for truth**

**I'm closer to where I started, I'm chasing after you**

**.**

**I'm falling even more in love with you**

**Letting go of all I've held onto**

**I'm standing here until you make me move**

**I'm hanging by a moment here with you**

James started to bang his fist onto the back of the guitar as he kept pace with the percussion as the song played in his head.

**Forgetting all I'm lacking, Completely incomplete**

**I'll take your invitation, You take all of me now**

**.**

**I'm falling even more in love with you, Letting go of all I've held onto**

**I'm standing here until you make me move, I'm hanging by a moment here with you**

**I'm living for the only thing I know, I'm running and not quite sure where to go**

**And I don't know what I'm diving into, Just hanging by a moment here with you**

**.**

**There's nothing else to lose**

**There's nothing else to find**

**There's nothing in the world**

**That can change my mind**

**There is nothing else**

**There is nothing else**

**There is nothing else**

**.**

**Desperate for changing, Starving for truth**

**I'm closer to where I started, I'm chasing after you**

**.**

**I'm falling even more in love with you, Letting go of all I've held onto**

**I'm standing here until you make me move, I'm hanging by a moment here with you**

**I'm living for the only thing I know, I'm running and not quite sure where to go**

**And I don't know what I'm diving into, Just hanging by a moment here with you**

**.**

Ramirez hopped up onto the platform next to James as he was finishing up the song, since he knew what part was coming up. "Just like basic." James said with a wink, Ramirez repressed a grin as he shook his head.

**Just hanging by a moment (R: Here with you)**

**Hanging by a moment (R: Here with you)**

**Hanging by a moment (R: Here with you)**

**Hanging by a moment here with you**

James ran his fingers up the neck of the guitar as he finished the song, the room filled with claps and cheers from the Mismedian people who never seen anything like that, ever. "Hey hey, while I'm here, here's a song for three ladies who are special to me." James said he strummed the guitar again.

**Song #3 - Stone Sour**

**If you take a step towards me, you will take my breath away**

**So I'll keep you close and keep my secret safe**

**No one else has ever loved me, no one else has ever tried**

**I never understood how much I could take**

**Then I saw the worst was over when I laid my eyes on you**

**It was all that I could do to know my place**

**Out of all the past illusions, out of all the dreams come true**

**I was gone until I finally saw your face**

**.**

**If you cried out for more**

**If you reached out for me**

**I would run into the storm**

**Just to keep you here with me**

**I have gone beyond my years**

**I've wasted half my life**

**But I found it all in you**

**Did I save you? 'Cause I know you saved me too**

**.**

**Let me take a step towards you, let me feel you in my hands**

**Let me cross this line and show you where it leads**

**There's a darkness down inside me that I know we'll both enjoy**

**And it's screaming from within to set it free**

**I have left this bloody nightmare in my wake but out of sight**

**All I want is deviation by design**

**Out of all the past confusion, out of all the common spite**

**Just tell me I am yours, 'cause you are mine!**

**.**

**And if you cried out for more**

**If you reached out for me**

**I would run into the storm**

**Just to keep you here with me**

**I have gone beyond my years**

**I've wasted half my life**

**But I found it all in you**

**Did I save you? 'Cause I know you saved me too**

**.**

James played the solo the best he could on an acoustic guitar, his fingers glided along the neck of the guitar as he played it so sweetly.

**It doesn't really matter what you do or say**

**I'm never going anywhere anyway**

**'Cause when I'm dying for you, I've never felt so alive**

.

**If you cried out for more**

**If you reached out for me**

**I would run into the storm**

**Just to keep you here with me**

**I have gone beyond my years**

**I've wasted half my life**

**But I found it all in you**

**Did I save you? 'Cause I know you saved me too**

**.**

**I know you saved me too**

James placed the guitar back into his storage spell and popped the pick back into his pocket, he walked off the platform to see Pearson staring at him "How do you store a pick in your mouth?" Pearson asked, James looked at him confused before he started to laugh "Oh, Ramirez was just fucking with you since I put one in my mouth when I get anxious about things, it's something I did way back in high school and basic." James explained.

Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn nearly tackled James to the ground as they swarmed him and flooded him with affection in the forms of hugs and kisses "Easy girls, easy." James said as he tried to catch his breath, he stepped back and took a deep breath; suddenly, a flash of light covered the area beside James as Touya took a photo of Elze, Linze, Yae, and Yumina in their dresses. The flash of light alerted the guards who readied themselves for combat but Jamukha held his hand up to stop them "What was that?" Jamukha asked curiously and cautiously, Touya chuckled nervously "Oh I'm sorry, this is also one of my null spells. It's a thing that takes pictures of a scene." Touya explained. Jamukha was pleasantly surprised "Ho! A spell that draws a picture by itself, you say? I've heard of someone with a similar spell over in The Refreese Imperium." Jamukha explained.

'Must be talking about the null spell [Drawing]. I doubt anyone has a phone like us here.' James thought to himself before he felt himself being pulled away by Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn to an unknown destination. "Go get 'em, Gunny!" Ramirez yelled as James disappeared around the corner. The girls pulled James into the room the king had set up for them since Victoria managed to explain James's relationship with Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn to the king. Naomi locked the door behind them as Ayumi carefully unbuttoned his dress jacket, she stopped momentarily as she looked at all the medals that hung from his chest.

James carefully removed his jacket and hung it on a large chair before he followed with the pants, button up shirt, and his white cover that he carefully placed on a table near the door as to not scuff the brim. James pulled out his Colt 1911 from his waistline that he had modified with an universal clipdraw so he could carry it without it being noticeable, Ayumi slowly approached James and ran her fingers across his chest as she traced his scars that crisscrossed his body; from lacerations scars to bullet and shrapnel wounds. "We want to know you, James, I'm sure the girls would agree with me." Ayumi said before she rested her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat.

Naomi and Shelyn wrapped their arms around him and held him closely as they felt the warmth of his body radiate into theirs, James lowered his head as he wrapped his arms around the three girls and pulled them close to him "I don't want to lose you girls, you're the best thing to happen to me since I di... came here." James said as he caught himself from the Freudian Slip. "We'll be by your side forever, James. We're so happy that you saved us from that fort that day." Naomi said as she held onto his right side, he looked over at her and blew on her ears lightly which caused them the flicker.

"Hey, that tickles." Naomi said with a giggle. "Now, I did promise that we'd do it once we got to where we were going so..." James said before he picked Ayumi up suddenly which caused her to yelp in surprise. He slowly carried her over to the bed and laid her down carefully, his fingers lightly traced up her exposed skin which elicited a moan from the blonde kitsune, he slowly leaned down and pressed his lips into hers while he continued to caress her gently. Ayumi squirmed in the bed as the sensations zipped through her body like a Formula 1 racecar, Ayumi broke the kiss and pushed James back lightly "James, I need you, now." Ayumi said before she pulled her top off and tossed it to the side "Now, c'mon Ayumi, don't be greedy." Naomi said as she slowly pressed her lips into James's while she guided his hands down to her ass.

Shelyn pushed Ayumi onto her back before she pounced and found the kitsune's supple lips, Naomi slipped her tongue into James's mouth and fought his for dominance; James moved his hands down to her thighs and quickly picked up before he placed her on the bed next to Ayumi and Shelyn who was feasting on Ayumi's hot core. Naomi removed her clothing and pulled her panties to the side while James unsheathed his god rod, Ayumi reached down and grabbed a hold of him while she squirmed, moaned, and panted in ecstasy. Ayumi moved her hand up and down repeatedly, picking up speed with each pump, she slowly sat up as Shelyn pulled away from Ayumi's soaked center.

The blonde Kitsune swiftly devoured his python and took him into her throat, James stared in a stunned silence as she pulled up with an audible pop "Okay, like I get that Tori taught you all this stuff but like... how?" James asked confused as Ayumi slowly pumped his now wet rod, Ayumi shot him a wink "Good practice I guess." Ayumi said before she guided him into Naomi's beckoning core, the catgirl took a deep breath in as he slowly slid into her love canal. "You okay?" James asked concerned as he leaned closer to her, she nodded as she bit her bottom lip "Yeah baby, just let me adjust to you." Naomi said as James felt her walls tighten around him.

"Alright, you can move." Naomi said before she took a deep breath in as he pulled back and thrusted back into her, Naomi gripped the sheets tightly as James hammered into her; Ayumi reached over and caressed her breasts as they bounced with each thrust, Naomi arched her back as wave of euphoria crashed through her. James felt her tighten around him as he picked the pace, she pulled him down into her lips as she reached her tipping point; he slowly removed himself from her as she panted heavily, her eyes pupils dilated in excitement. Shelyn devoured him and bobbed her head on his rod, Ayumi slowly toyed with herself as she feasted on Shelyn's hot nova, Shelyn's moans vibrated around James's member which caused him to groan in pleasure.

Shelyn pulled up with a pop before she pushed James onto the bed and mounted his piston in one swift motion; Shelyn shuddered and moaned as she began to move on his rod, her supple breasts bounced with each thrust downward as she rode him like a wild stallion, galloping through the fields of ecstasy; Shelyn placed her hands on his thighs as she started to move straight up and down on his meat missile.

James slowly reached up and caressed her angelic face lightly with his thumb before he moved it closer to her lips; in a swift yet slow motion, Shelyn wrapped her lips around his thumb and sucked on it sensually and slowly as she continued to ride him. Shelyn dug her nails into his thighs as her own thighs clamped tightly, her body shook, and she moaned out to the heavens above; James reached up to catch her as her body went limp and laid her against his chest as her walls pulsated around his gentleman sword.

"Oh fuck, baby... I-I can barely feel my legs." Shelyn said before she pressed her lips into his and wrapped her arms around his neck. Shelyn slowly unsheathed his sword from her scabbard, her essence glistened off of his spear as James beckoned it toward Ayumi who was captivated by the sight of his python; Ayumi laid back and opened herself to her lover who slowly lined himself up with her hot core, he rubbed his tool against her soaked papaya before he slowly plugged his cord into her outlet. Ayumi slowly arched her back as he continued to slide into her, he reached down and felt her breasts as he entered her completely. The desire in her eyes radiated heavily as her pupils dilated in ecstasy, James slowly leaned down and locked his lips with hers as his hips started to rock back and forth, his staff moving like a piston inside her.

Ayumi dug her nails into James's back as he rammed into her tight core, Naomi and Shelyn held each other closely as they watched Ayumi writhe and squirm in ecstasy underneath her lover, Ayumi's chest rose and fell rapidly as he hit all the right places inside her tunnel of love. Ayumi gasped and shuddered lustfully as James pulled back and hammered it home.

James slowly pulled out of Ayumi and turned her over onto her hands and knees before he pressed himself back into a dripping, hot, tight core. His re-entry sent a shiver of overwhelming sensations crashing through her body as he started to thrust into her again, he placed his hands onto her hips as he slammed into her nova.

Suddenly, he reached up underneath her and cupped her breasts before he pulled her back into his chest while he continued to thrust up into her. Ayumi placed her hands on the back of his head as he plunged himself into her nebula while her juices dripped from her core, the squishing and squelching echoed off the walls combined with their heavy panting.

Naomi and Shelyn explored each other's bodies slowly as they slowly kissed one another, savoring the feeling of their soft, supple lips on one another. Naomi let her hand trail down Shelyn's body before she pressed two fingers into her juicy fruit, Shelyn moaned but Naomi's lips suppressed it as she thrusted into the wolf girl's spasm chasm that dripped her love juice.

Ayumi leaned her head back and pressed her lips into his as her walls tightened around his god rod, her body shook as she pressed her lips into his harder and dug her nails into his skin, James held her breasts in his hands and squeezed them lightly as he slowed his thrusts to light pumps.

James let Ayumi lay down on the bed as he continued to slowly push himself into her creamy rosebud with his hands on her plump ass, he slowly picked up the pace while Ayumi continued to let out soft moans next to Naomi and Shelyn who had reached their second apex together. James's breathing slowly became rapid as he slowly thrusted faster and faster, Naomi and Shelyn moved closer to him as he pulled his sword from her sheath.

Ayumi managed to roll over as his rod erupted and sprayed his nizzle-drizzle onto the three girls, most of it landing on Ayumi's breasts and Shelyn's awaiting tongue. Naomi leaned down and took his tool into her mouth to clean his member, Naomi grabbed his rod and bobbed her head viciously until he let out another load with a grunt that she consumed gulp by gulp.

James slowly laid back on the bed next to the girls who clung to his body as he pulled the covers over them in the stuffy room, James reached down and pulled his boxers up over his $5 Footlong before he wrapped his arms around Ayumi and Shelyn's waists while Naomi laid on his chest and looked into his blue eyes with her Amber colored eyes. "Hey babe, can we talk to you about something?" Ayumi asked as she propped herself up on her forearm.

"Sure, what's up, sweetheart?" James asked as he scratched Naomi's back lightly which caused her tail to swish happily. "So... have you ever thought the idea of marriage? With Yumina talking about marriage with Touya, it got us thinking and we'd love to be your wives, no matter how many you choose to take." Ayumi said, James looked at Naomi and Shelyn who nodded in agreement. James sighed as he sat up slightly "I'd love to marry you girls, it's just that... right now is not the best time, we'll be going up against an unknown enemy with unknown capabilities so we'll have to stay as secretive as possible." James explained as Shelyn rested her head against his chest.

"What did you mean when you said 'no matter how many you choose to take'?" James asked confused, Naomi giggled as she held his chin in her hand and looked into his eyes "It's very common for men to take multiple wives and you have this essence about you that I doubt we'll be your only lovers." Naomi said before she kissed him on the lips.

"Hey, uh, how old are you girls anyway?" James asked, Shelyn giggled as she playfully slapped his chest "You know your not supposed to ask a girl that... but Victoria told us about your country's customs so we'll tell you, we're all eighteen." Shelyn said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

James sighed in relief as he laid back against the pillows, Shelyn's wolf ears flickered as James's hot breath that he exhaled blew on them and caused her to stir lightly. As James laid his head against the pillow, he couldn't shake the unmistakable sound of squeaking that was moving down the hallway slowly; James looked past Naomi's voluptuous ass and saw a pair of stubby legs waddling past the door followed by a pair of human legs. "Ehh, whatever. I'm in bliss." James said to himself as he fell asleep underneath his lovely ladies.

* * *

***The Next Day***

James awoke suddenly to the sound of someone banging on his door, his instincts kicked in and he wrapped his arm around Naomi, he swiftly pulled her behind him as he pulled his M45 1911 from the nightstand, aimed it at the door, and cocked the hammer back. He slowly climbed out of bed and approached the door "Gunny, stand down. I heard the hammer cock, relax, you're in friendly territory." Ramirez's voice called from the other side of the door.

James snapped out of his trance and uncocked his pistol as he cracked the door slightly, Ramirez stood outside wearing his standard issue BDUs along with Fox and Pearson "You ready to head back to the castle?" Ramirez asked, James nodded before he looked back at the bed "Yeah, just give me a few minutes, y'all go ahead and use [Gate] to teleport the vehicles back to the castle, including the Humvee." James said before he shut the door.

"James, is everything alright?" Naomi asked concerned, James sighed as he placed his pistol back onto the nightstand. "Yeah, its just my defensive training kicking in. We're trained to be ready for anything and one thing our captain did was wake us up in the dead of night to see how we reacted, we were trained to grab our weapons and aim it at the target without hesitation." James explained as he sat down on the bed and rubbed the side of his head. "Anyway, I'm gonna take some time and explore the area if you girls want to join me." James said as he pulled on his BDUs and tossed his Dress Blues into a [Storage] spell. Naomi shook her head "We'd love to, but we get the feeling this is something you're gonna need to do by yourself. Besides, we gotta go take care of the girls." Naomi said as the three of them got dressed.

James snapped his fingers and opened a [Gate] to the castle for the girls to pass through, Ayumi stopped and kissed him on the lips "Come back to us safe, please." Ayumi said before she walked through the [Gate]. James pulled his M110 SASS from [Storage] and pulled back the charging bolt to chamber a round from the magazine. "Always." James said as he placed his rifle onto his back and slid his 1911 into his waistline.

James left the room and made his way toward the King's quarters, he pushed open the heavy doors and entered the King's royal chambers where Jamukha sat on his throne while he read some documents pertaining to the Belfast alliance, the sound of the heavy door closing brought Jamukha out of his reading "Ahh, James, what a pleasant surprise, what can I do for you? Want to spar again?" Jamukha asked, James chuckled as he held his hands up "Maybe another time, right now I come with a request." James said, the sentence grabbed Jamukha's attention. "Oh, and what was it you had in mind?" Jamukha asked.

"In the coming months, I will be going to war against the Kingdom of Sandora, I'm sure you're aware of their stance and practice of slavery, correct?" James asked, the king nodded "Yes, I know what those bastards do in their country. It's disgusting, and I can't stand them." Jamukha said, James nodded as he approached the King's throne. "I have a proposition for you then, I can guarantee Mismede's protection if you'll allow me to build a few installations in Mismede, then I can have the same installations defend Mismede." James explained, Jamukha seemed perplexed as he thought it over. "What all would you have to build?" Jamukha asked, James shrugged "Well, the first thing I'd have to build is a relay tower, it's a large tower that would allow me to control these weapon installations from anywhere. The weapons would be long range explosive spells that I could hit Sandora with, I could also have land weapons that could annihilate an invading force." James explained.

Jamukha rubbed his beard and pondered the proposition "Interesting... I'll allow it, what will you need?" Jamukha asked, James chuckled "Just some resources and some of your local guides." James said as he pulled up a map of Mismede. "My plan would be to build the tower here and the installations in the area around the tower." James explained as he marked the locations with little digital pushpins. "Very interesting, I'll gather some of my best cartographers and have them ready in the next few days."Jamukha said as he stood up and shook James's hand. "Thank you, sir. You'll be quite impressed with what I got planned." James said before he turned to leave the King's chambers.

James stopped as he reached for the door handle "Say Jamukha, do you know where Touya went?" James asked as he turned around, the King nodded "Yeah, he went back to Belfast this morning, said something about building a new weapon." Jamukha explained, James nodded before he left the King's chambers. He opened his phone's map and searched 'Touya' in the search bar, a blip popped up in a forest outside Alephis. James snapped his fingers on the hand that had the ring enchanted with [Gate], he stepped through the portal and out into the forest near Alephis. James reached down and pressed the comms button on his throat "Come in, Ramirez, how copy?" James said as he slowly crept through the treeline, the comms buzzed for a moment before a voice came through "Ramirez, I read you five by five." Ramirez said through his earpiece.

"Good, bring Fox and meet at my position." James said as he took a knee with his rifle pointed toward the ground, moments later a portal formed before Ramirez and Fox stepped out with their weapons in hand. "What's the plan, Gunny?" Ramirez asked as James stood up and dusted off his pants legs. "Touya is somewhere in this forest building what I can only assume is a gun..." James started to say before Fox cut him off "... and we gotta show that little shit how to do it so he doesn't hurt himself... sorry for speaking out of turn, sir." Fox said as he saluted the Gunnery Sergeant. "Fox, you don't salute Sergeants, not even Gunnery Sergeants." Ramirez said with a smirk. "Yeah, but he also has a Medal of Honor, so... I'm gonna salute him regardless." Fox said, James chuckled "Damn Sergeant Ramirez, Corporal Fox schooled you." James said playfully before the three of them pushed into the forest.

The Marines slowly pushed into the forest, sweeping and clearing every tree or boulder they passed; the Marines came up to a clearing and saw Linze, Yumina, Touya, and Kohaku. "Damn, that cat will make us." James said as he laid on the ground and carefully extended the Bipod on his rifle, James signaled the Marines to fan out as he dialed in his scope. Ramirez moved right while Fox moved left, James pressed the stock into his shoulder as he closed one eye; he slowly turned the rifle so the crosshairs landed on the tree Touya was facing. Touya carefully built a revolver and loaded six rounds into it before he cocked the hammer back and took aim at the tree.

James took a deep breath in as he flicked the safety off and placed his finger on the trigger, he carefully squeezed the trigger lightly until he felt the trigger click once; he exhaled slowly as he pulled the trigger completely, the DMR bucked into his shoulder as the .308 screamed from the barrel and ripped into the tree Touya had shot at simultaneously. The rifle's report echoed loudly and scared the two girls along with Kohaku and Touya who was startled by the sound, James stood up and walked out of the shadows along with the two other Marines "Touya, you'd be dead if I was anyone else." James said as he rested his rifle on his shoulder.

"What are you doing anyway?" James asked as he looked at the revolver in Touya's hand. "He made a weapon like yours, James!" Linze said excitedly, James cocked one of his eyebrows as he looked at the teen "Oh really, of all the designs you can choose, you chose a Remington Model 1858. Not a Beretta 92fs or a Sig Sauer P228, but a Model 1858. Sad." James said before he drew the M45 1911 from his waistline and dumped eight rounds into the tree in a matter of seconds. Fox grabbed James's rifle as it was about to fall as James pulled a fresh magazine from his vest, dropped the empty one from the receiver, and slapped a fresh mag into the mag well in a matter of seconds before he racked the slide.

"Boom, let's see your revolver do that." James said as he slid his pistol back into his waistline and took his rifle back from Fox. Fox took the revolver from Touya and examined the barrel closer "Hey diptard, you forgot the rifling, these bullets aren't gonna do shit." Fox said as he handed the revolver back to the teen by the barrel. "Touya! Can you make us one of those guns?" Linze and Yumina asked, James was about to say something but Ramirez stopped him "No no, let them figure it out first." Ramirez said as Touya pulled up pictures of revolvers on his phone for the girls to look at, the girls chose their favorite designs which Touya quickly built for the two girls.

Touya created a snub nosed revolver for Linze and a long barrel revolver that by simply existing, caused James's eye to twitch "Alright, so you made Linze a Smith & Wesson Model 36 .38 Special, not bad. But what in the name of Lucifer's foreskin is that abomination?" James asked Touya, gesturing toward Yumina's revolver. "Is something wrong, James?" Yumina asked concerned, James sighed before he carefully took the revolver from her "So this is Colt Model 1860 Black Powder percussion cap revolver. This gun is so dangerous since if this hammer hits a cap and ignites the rest of the powder, this gun goes boom and so does your hand. Let me fix this for you." James said before he moved over to the stump and carefully disassembled her new revolver, he pulled the reel out and held his hand over it "Modeling." James said before the slots increased in size slightly before he slide one of Touya's bullets into the slot.

He put the revolver back together, used [Modeling] to widen the barrel before he cocked the hammer back and squeezed the trigger, the muzzle flashed and the report echoed through the forest as a bullet ripped into the tree he was aiming at. "See, now it works perfectly. Lesson two: Always point your gun away from anyone you're not ready to kill, this is instant death and there are no do-overs. Always treat your gun as if it is loaded, even if it isn't. We've seen too many rebels blow their friends away by being negligent with firearms." James explained. "Just like that Haji who shot his friend in the throat with that AK he was messing with back in Baghdad." Fox said with a chuckle.

"Thank you, James. Can you teach us more about these new weapons sometime?" Linze asked, James nodded "Sure, swing by the castle sometime and we'll run you through a training course." James said before Ramirez cut in "We're gonna teach you the basics from firearm management to how to properly breach and clear a room." Ramirez said, James looked back at Ramirez confused "Not breaching and clearing, that's us not them." James said with a chuckle. "How about we set one up for us then, S.S.D.D." Ramirez said as he crossed his arms, James nodded "Now you're talking." James said before he fist bumped Ramirez.

"Alright, we were just making sure you didn't blow yourself up. Marines, move out." James said before he snapped his fingers and opened a [Gate] back to the castle. The Marines stepped through the [Gate] and found themselves in the courtyard where the vehicles sat ready to move; Touya, Yumina, and Linze followed them through the [Gate] and entered the courtyard behind the Marines. "Wow, this is High Priest Juniper's castle. Father told me so much about him." Yumina said in awe, James whipped around to find Touya, Linze, and Yumina behind him.

James sighed before he gestured to the castle "I guess, welcome to my base of operations." James said. "So, this is where you went after you left that day at the ruins of the old capital. James, we're sorry we left you behind... we were.." Linze started to apologize but James stopped her "Linze, it's fine. It's probably for the best that we went our different ways." James said as he pushed himself up onto the side of the M1a2 Abrams. "Why do you say that?" Linze asked, seemingly hurt by his phrasing of words. "It's not you, it's me. My style of combat is vastly different and don't want to subject you to the horrors of combat." James explained, his words seemed to set Linze's mind at ease.

"Hey, we were gonna go to town in Mismede and get some food, would you want to join us?" Touya asked, James chuckled "Sure, let me gather my people and we'll meet you there." James said before Touya opened a [Gate] and left with Linze and Yumina in tow.

* * *

***30 Minutes Later***

Half an hour later, the three Marines exited a [Gate] to Mismede with Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn in tow; the Marines and the girls met up with Touya in the marketplace of Berge. "Hey, so glad you could make it." Yumina said as she greeted the three girls. "Oh, like we'd pass up a date with our man." Naomi said as she wrapped her arms around James. The marksman chuckled as he placed his hand on her left forearm, his tan gloves were rough on her skin but she didn't protest against it "I want to try the local dish of this kingdom, Cully is a popular dish here, I heard." Linze said.

James nudged Ramirez "You thinking it might be like Karbala?" James asked as they walked through the streets of Berge, Ramirez nodded his head "Yeah, no doubt in my mind. This is gonna be some Middle Eastern-style curry." Ramirez said as they neared the market area. The group entered a medium sized restaurant and sat down at a long table, James sat in the middle with Ramirez and Fox to his left and Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn to his right, Touya sat directly opposite the Marine with Yumina to the left of Touya and Linze to his right.

The group placed their orders and had their dishes within twenty minutes, the Marines had ordered both the Beef Cully and Pork Cully while Ayumi and Shelyn had the Beef Cully, Naomi had the Chicken Cully, Yumina ordered the Beef Cully, Linze got the Chicken Cully, and Touya had ordered the Pork Cully. The girls tasted their Cully and immediately reached for the jug of water to cool the fire in their mouths. The Marines ate theirs as if there wasn't a problem in the world "Yep, just like Karbala." James said as he coughed on the spice that hit his throat, Touya had tears forming in his eyes as he winced at the heat.

"How are you three unaffected?" Touya asked confused, James chuckled as Fox looked up at Touya "There's a place called Karbala, it's a city in Iraq and it has some of the hottest curry you'd ever tasted, stuff that would give you third degree burns down your throat." Fox said before he devoured another spoonful of Beef and Pork Cully. They left the restaurant after they finished their Cully, James bought three iced fruit juices for Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn so they could cool off their mouths; Touya followed suit and bought three as well, one for him, Yumina, and Linze.

The group walked down the road, James's rifle knocked against his Molle vest as he walked with the girls to his left and the Marines to the right while Touya, Yumina, Linze, and Kohaku were ahead of them; James, Touya, and the Marines all looked upward as they felt the sensation of being watched "Ramirez, Fox; act natural, in a few seconds, I'm gonna break off and go give our viewers a warm welcome." James said quietly through their comms system, the two Marines nodded as Touya seemed to react to the presence as well.

"[Boost]" James said before he leaped into the air toward a large tower, Touya was directly behind him as they landed on the roof of the tower and found two individuals in white cloaks and white masks. "Hey there, there's a fee to watch. Stop where you are and let's chat." James said as he approached the individuals, one fished a glass tube from their cloak and threw it on the ground "Shit, flashbang." James said before he looked away as the glass tube exploded and covered the area in a brilliant, blinding light.

"I got them on the map, let's go!" Touya said before the two of them took off "[Accel Boost]" James and Touya said simultaneously, the two sped across the rooftops; James slid across the rooftop of one of the building that faced the alley the two individuals were running down and pulled his rifle out, deployed the Bi-Pod, and lined up the shot. "James! Wait...!" Touya started to say when suddenly.

**_*Crack!* _**

The unmistakable report of a single .308 round being fired rang out over the town as the bullet hit its mark and slammed one of the observers to the ground. "James, what did you do?" Touya asked stunned by what he just saw. "Relax, I winged them. Let's go." James said before he leapt off the building and landed on the ground near one of the individuals who was slowly bleeding out, their white robe slowly turned a shade of wine red around the wound. The other observer took a defensive position with a knife drawn as James approached them "Stand down unless you want them to die." James said.

The second individual backed up but Touya quickly tied them up while James administered first aid in the form of healing magic "Come forth, Light! Calm of the Goddess: Mega Heal." James said before the wounded individual glowed, the wound on their shoulder healed and any damage was quickly removed. "And to be certain you're healed up, [Recovery]." James said as another gentle light covered their body, healing any affliction that affected their body.

"Touya, search them." James said as he stood up with his rifle pointed downward, Touya moved toward the one who'd been hit by James's rifle and placed his hands on their abdomen to search for weapons or tactical items, he slid his hands upward and seemed to cup a pair of breasts; the individual let out a "Hyah?!" in surprise. "Y-Y-You're a girl?" Touya asked as he started to sweat and become nervous. "Come on, Virgin. This is interrogation, not prom night." James said as he kicked Touya in the thigh.

"Oh geez, I'm sorry." Touya said as he backed his hand away, he accidentally bumped the mask of the individual as he withdrew his hand and caused it to fall off. Touya watched the mask fall to the ground, he looked up and was stunned at the face "What the?! Lapis...?" Touya asked confused, the black-haired girl nodded as she blushed. "Alright, start talking, now." James said as the hardened Marine side of him came out in full force.

"We are 'Espion.' Intelligence operatives acting directly under the command of His Majesty, the King of Belfast." Lapis explained. "The king?" Touya asked confused. "Dude, she just said The King of Belfast, open your ears." James said as he rolled his eyes. The marksman leaned his M110 against the wall and sat down on the ground against the same wall. "Alright, so why are you following us?" James asked as he crossed his arms. "Well, our current mission is to protect the princess." Lapis explained.

"Are you the only ones protecting Yumina?" Touya asked as James stared at the individual who stilled donned a mask. "Nooo, there's several mooore. All of them are girls, toooo." The masked individual said before she removed her mask to reveal a rather cute girl with orange colored hair. 'Alright, that's gonna get annoying fast.' James thought to himself. Touya seemed to thinking as he tapped his foot "Wait, how long have you been following us? Since we were still in Belfast?" Touya asked.

Lapis nodded "That's what our mission was, yes." Lapis explained. James let out a quiet but sharp whistle to get Lapis's attention "Hey, how's your arm?" James asked sincerely, Lapis was hesitant for a moment before she sighed "It's as if nothing happened, sorry for spying on you." Lapis said apologetically, James nodded as he moved over to her left shoulder. Lapis flinched but James grabbed her wrist "Don't move, I'm checking to see if the wound is healed properly." James said as he pulled the hidden knife from her leggings, he pulled the cloak to the side and examined the entry and exit wound that had healed completely.

"Alright, you're good. If you girls want to be effective at your job, stop by Juniper Castle and I can get you some upgrades for your gear." James said as he helped Lapis and the other girl to their feet. "I'm Cecile by the way." The orange haired girl said with a nod. "So, the one who threw the knife at the Black Dragon was..." Touya asked as he trailed on. "That was Cecile, yes. She's a knife-throwing expert." Lapis said as she praised her friend's abilities.

"Eheheheeh. Oh, I'm not thaat good." Cecile said as she blushed lightly, James chuckled "Honey, you hit a dragon in the eye with a throwing knife." James said as he tried to hammer home his point. Suddenly, Cecile grew a bit despondent and fearfully looked up at Touya "Sooo, uhmm... are we getting fiiired?" Cecile asked in her elongated speech pattern. Touya seemed confused "Hm? Why would you be fired?" He asked confused. "Well, sir, we're your maids, and instead of fulfilling our duties, we're here on another job entirely..." Cecile explained.

Touya chuckled for a moment before he looked at the two girls "No, I don't plan on firing either of you. The king only gave the order because he was worried about his daughter, after all. Also, if I fired you, I'd also have to get rid of Laim." Touya explained, the two girls sighed in relief as James cut the bindings that were on their wrists. "So, what are you going to do now?" Touya asked, Cecile rubbed her wrists before she straightened her robes "We will keep on secretly protecting Princess Yumina... but before that, we have something to ask of you, sir?" Lapis asked as she looked at Touya as if she were readying herself to say something difficult.

"Would you be kind enough to keep us a secret from the princess...?" Lapis asked. "If she were to find out about our protection, the princess would get reeeally mad at his Majesty." Cecile continued. Touya and James nodded simultaneously as James handed their masks back to them. Lapis wore the mask with a hexagon shape on the forehead while Cecile wore the one with an oval on it, James and Touya backed up slightly before the two maids leapt to the roof and disappeared into the shadows.

James and Touya returned to the group, the two told the group that the assailants had gotten away, which wasn't that far from the truth. With everything settled, Touya's group returned to the Mismede Palace while James's group went back to the castle.

* * *

"Alright, Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn. We gotta go get started on a project in Mismede, Tori will be here if you need anything." James said before he kissed each of them goodbye. "Be safe, come back to us." Naomi said as she hugged the Marine, he squeezed her back before he let go and disappeared into the [Gate] along with Ramirez, Fox, and Pearson who was piloting the Abrams. The Marines came out of the [Gate] somewhere in the Mismede desert, they climbed onto the Tank and trekked forward while James kept track with his phone's map, the phone being enchanted with [Long Sense] which mapped out every nook and cranny.

Eventually, James slammed on the roof of the tank for Pearson to stop; the tank came to stop as they stood in the middle of nowhere "Here, absolute center of Mismede. Gentlemen, let's terraform." James said as he jumped off the tank into the sand below. The Marines carefully removed supplies from their own [Storage] spells like Steel, Copper, Composite Materials, Concrete, and Aluminum; Fox and Pearson got to work setting out the bags of concrete they had made prior and used [Modeling] to turn it into a massive slab of concrete that sunk into the sand.

***Alright, this is a lot of words for they built shit which I don't want to risk getting wrong factually.***

After hours of hard work, the Marines had finally erected a large steel tower that stood over 660 Feet tall and was stabilized by four ten inch thick steel Guy Wires anchored to concrete anchor points nearly a quarter mile away on either sides. James walked up to the tower and placed his hands on the cold steel "[Enchant Long Sense] [Program start: Transmit map of surrounding area of two thousand miles and include all movements in real time, indicate whether individuals are friends or foes. Transmit in frequency number one and transmit information in labeled regions. End program." James said before he backed away from the tower.

He pulled his phone out and opened the map, suddenly he saw a live ping on the map that highlighted multiple dots in green "Gentlemen, we have radar now." James said, the Marines grinned before they got back to work building artillery batteries. The Marines quickly built concrete platforms in various areas around Mismede, the platforms were approximately thirty feet by thirty feet and each battery housed a twin-barrel 155mm Howitzer that had an auto loading system that worked of kinetic energy and some programmed electric energy.

By the time the sun was starting to set, the Marines had built seven artillery batteries in the surrounding area, pushing toward the border with The Sea of Trees. James stood by the tower with his phone in his hand as the Marines finished programming the batteries to correspond to the tower and allow for remote control. James watched as the batteries came online and got confirmation from each Marine when he successfully moved the trajectory of the barrels on one of the batteries and then when all seven moved simultaneously.

Ramirez had enchanted the loading system with [Copy] and [Program] so it would constantly reload itself and never run out of shells. Minutes later, the Marines regrouped at the tower James had dubbed 'The Oracle' as the sun had set "Well, shall we?" Fox asked, James chuckled "Light up the sky with fire." James said as he pulled up the map his phone, meanwhile Ramirez used [Protection] on the tower to ensure its safety.

"Hang on. [Fly]." Pearson said before he took off into the sky toward the top of the tower, the Marines watched as he tinkered away with something. Suddenly, a bright red light started to slowly blink from the top of the tower; Pearson flew back down but forgot how to stop and drove himself head-first into the sand "Hey guys! It's got a blinky light now." Pearson's muffled voice said as the light glowed and dimmed in a slow pattern, with a dim downtime of two seconds before it brightened again.

The Marines watched the light slowly blink as the red light illuminated the dark sand, the glow of the capital city of Berge flickered in the distance as they were surrounded by darkness that swallowed the desert. James pulled up the weapon controls for the newly built artillery batteries, he pressed 'reload all' on his screen before the Marines heard the sound of fourteen 155mm shells being chambered in unison echo across the desert.

James analyzed the map closely as he chose a barren section of desert devoid of life and away any nearby settlements, the marksman selected seven points in a linear plot before he pressed the 'fire all' button that blinked on his screen. The thunderous booms of the Howitzers shook the ground as the muzzle flashes illuminated the area as the Marines watched the shells scream through the sky and impact their target points. The shells impacted one by one and lit up the night as each shell exploded with a devastating explosion, the Marines watched in awe as the final shell exploded in a flash of glory and fire.

The Marines were silent for a moment before they all cheered gleefully "Hell yeah! Woooooo! Let's do this, baby!" The Marines cheered sporadically. James stopped cheering as a thought filled his mind "Accel!" James said before he disappeared and reappeared at one of the artillery batteries as it was reloading. James picked up an artillery shell and carefully created a secondary ammo rack for it cycle from if selected.

"[Enchant: Mega Explosion] Program start: When projectile leaves barrel, use [Fly] to carry projectile to targeted location at high velocity. Activate [Mega Explosion] upon impact with target. End program" James said before he used [Copy] to fill the ammo rack, he handed a shell to the other Marines and told them to follow suit. The Marines zipped through the desert as they modified the artillery batteries while James walked back to The Oracle. Seconds later, the other Marines rejoined him at the base of The Oracle as James held his phone in his hand, his hand somewhat shaky.

"Gentlemen, once we test this and it goes how I think it will, there will be no going back." James said as he placed his phone on the tank, the Marines were silent for a moment as they pondered the ramifications "Fuck it, they brought this on themselves." Ramirez said, James nodded as the others slowly agreed. James picked up his phone and selected a single target somewhere in the Mismede desert and pressed 'Fire: ammo type 2'. Two barrels erupted with fire from a lone battery as the shells screamed through the sky, a loud, evil moaning noise echoed through the air as they arched downward and increased velocity before they hit the ground with two massive explosions that shook the ground and filled the sky with an orange fiery mushroom cloud that illuminated the desert.

Darkness covered the area again shortly after as the Marines stood in stunned silence "Well Pearson, if you got a quick one liner, we'd love to hear it." Ramirez said as they stared into the vast emptiness, but Pearson remained silent "Sorry sir, I've got nothing." Pearson said in a deadpan tone of voice. "My god, what have we created?" Fox asked in disbelief, James chuckled "Well, we can never use those in a salvo." James said as he returned the batteries to upright rest and locked the firing system so nobody could fire them by mistake.

The Marines climbed onto the Abrams as its lights clicked on and illuminated the dark desert, Pearson turned the tank so it was facing Berge before he pressed the accelerator and drove toward the city; James looked back and watched as the The Oracle slowly blinked in the pit black sky, its silhouette softly illuminated by the moon. Ramirez sat in the gunner seat and scanned the area with the mounted M2HB .50 BMG Heavy Machine Gun "Penny for your thoughts, Gunny?" Ramirez asked as he noticed James tapping his foot in constant thought.

"Why do I feel like I don't want this war to end so easily?" James asked as he looked up into the night sky. "No idea, Gunny. I hope these Sandora slavers put up a fight, first thing first is to take out The Black Phantom Company and these 'Jade Wraiths' first." Ramirez said as the Abrams drove over a sand dune while everyone held onto the chassis for safety.

* * *

Minutes later, the Abrams pulled up outside the King's castle as the King of Belfast was leaving through Touya's gate, the Marines walked into the castle as Touya was handing a small mirror to Jamukha "This mirror is connected to Belfast. From now on, when you have an important message or something else, you only to put a letter into this mirror." Touya explained, Jamukha nodded "I see, so instead of of a 20-day round trip, messages can be exchanged instantly. This is surely convenient, I'll make sure to use it to further our friendly relation." Jamukha said as he took the mirror from Touya.

"Ahh James, Ramirez, Fox, and Pearson; how are you, sir?" Jamukha asked, James seemed stunned for a moment "Well, never thought I'd be called 'Sir' by royalty, but I digress. We have built our weapon systems and it is fully functional along with a surveillance system called 'The Oracle'. You can see it if you look out this way." James said as he gestured to an open area, Jamukha walked over to where James was and looked out into the night sky.

"Well, I don't see... by the gods, there's a red orb in the sky." Jamukha said amazed at what he saw. "Yes sir, that's called a flight beacon. Since I'll have flying metal beasts, they fly and not hit the tower since the light will be visible." James explained. "Do you mind demonstrating it?" Jamukha asked, the Marines seemed to tense up at the question. "Well sir, I'm sure you heard those explosions, right? Well, I'm positive your neighbors to the south heard it as well and I want to make a deal with them first to possibly have another weapon battery array in the Sea of Trees." James explained.

"We heard the first explosions, but the two explosions after the fourteen initial one shook the castle." Touya explained, James nodded "Yeah, the second artillery shells are called 'Falling Star of Armageddon'. It is a certified extermination notice for anyone who becomes our enemy." James explained, Touya seemed horrified while Jamukha was intrigued. "Well James, I'm sure glad we are allies." Jamukha said as he shook the Marine's hand.

"Fox, if you had to guess, about how many kilotons were those last two shell?" James asked Corporal Noah Fox who specialized in explosive ordinances and weapon ballistics before he died due to a roadside IED in Afghanistan. "Well sir, that mushroom cloud looked to be about ten miles up there and if that crater is about 210 feet deep, you're looking at about 350 Kiloton per shell." Fox explained in a whisper to James who nodded slowly.

'350 Kiloton non-nuclear explosive ordinance, sweet Jesus Christ.' James thought to himself. "You seem ready to take out Sandora, James." Jamukha said as he placed his hands on his hips, James nodded "Yes sir, there's an old saying where I'm from; 'Cry Havoc!; and let slip the dogs of war.' We Marines are called 'Devil Dogs' for a reason." James said with a smirk before the other Marines gave out a resounding 'Oorah!' in solidarity.

The Marines left the castle and boarded the Abrams, James opened a [Gate] to the castle before Pearson drove through and parked the Main Battle Tank under the naturally formed cave that was inside the cliff wall, the Juniper castle was built in the corner of a naturally formed mountain ridge that made an 'L' shape, on the other side of the cliff was Jade Falls, a powerful waterfall that flowed into a large plunge pool that then flowed into Jade River.

Victoria had been quite busy since the four other Marines left to build the weapon emplacements, she had reinforced the dragon scales and modeled them into Molle vest plate inserts; James walked over to the wall and flipped a large lever that caused the castle's floodlights to flip on, the bright lights illuminated the grasslands that seemed to go on for miles, only interrupted by the dirt road that led to Alephis and a few trees that peppered the area.

"We saw the mushroom cloud from here, it was faint but when there's zero light pollution, you could see it clearly." Victoria said as she approached the Gunnery Sergeant, James nodded "Yeah, Fox said that they're roughly 350 Kilotons." James said as he watched rabbit hope through the grass and immediately get eaten by a horned wolf that was then devoured by Azazel. "You sure about this?" Tori asked as she leaned against the wall, James shook his head as he sat on the steps "No, not really." James said with a sigh.

"You know who'd be great to have with us right now? Yuri Petrovich, the Spetsnaz engineer we met in Kuwait. Man, that guy was so cool." Pearson said as he cleaned the barrel on the Abrams, James chuckled "Yeah, but I don't think the big man is gonna throw us another bone like this." James said as he looked up into the sky. James's phone buzzed in his pocket before he pulled it out to see a message from 'G-Man', James swiped the screen up and read the text message to himself.

'James, I'm willing to bring back a few more friends of yours, but that's it. Now, name the people you want.' The G-Man said via text message. James chuckled as he typed away 'Yuri Petrovich Spetsnaz, Corporal Dalton Elliott, Private First Class Ryan Feldman, Sergeant Derryck Foley, Private Roman Campbell British SAS, and Staff Sergeant Brian Jones. I need you catch them up with everything that has happened up until now.' James said in a text message.

A minute passed and nothing happened "Well, what happened?" Ramirez asked confused, a gruff voice cleared its throat behind Ramirez "Ramirez! Are you being a cock weasel as always?! Where's Murphy?!" A tall black male in Marine Corp BDUs asked as he descended the stairs. "It's Gunnery Sergeant Murphy now." James said as he stood up and stepped toe to toe with the new man. The man wrapped Murphy in a bear hug and held him close "I'm proud of ya, son." The man said, his name tag read 'Foley'. "Missed you too, Sergeant Foley." James said as he patted the Marine on the back.

"Wait, did you mean about the promotion or..." James started to ask before he trailed off. "No dumbass, all of this. You came back and seized opportunity by the sack." Foley said with a smirk. One by one, the other Marines that were revived congregated in the courtyard; James stood up on the Abrams and cleared his throat "I just want to say first and foremost, I missed you guys. With everyone here, the 2nd Battalion is back to its original strength. Now, I'm sure the big man upstairs filled you in on everything that has happened, correct?" James asked the Marines, the new Marines nodded in acknowledgement.

"Right, you were brought back because our job isn't done. Drill Sergeant Brian Jones, I had you brought back so we can train the locals to be disciplined and better fighters, Feldman knows the most about Artillery since his favorite quote is 'Dear Grid Square...'." James said which caused the Marines to laugh while Feldman, a stocky Caucasian male with blonde hair simply shrugged. "Foley, you're the best I know when it comes to training rookies to fight." James said as he looked at Foley.

"Hey, we turned your sorry ass into a top tier marksman." Foley said before he and Jones chuckled. "Elliott here grew up on a farm and knows the most about agriculture and general hydrodynamics on top of knowing a lot about construction." James explained, Elliott nodded with a smirk as he watched Murphy speak.

"Now, there's two more people that'll be working with us. Private Roman Campbell of the British SAS, he specialized in electronic and drone warfare and since that's how we're gonna fight mostly, he's crucial." James said as a man with short brown hair and sleeve tattoos walked out from behind the tank.

"Ello mates, good to be seeing my friends from across the pond." Campbell said as he gave them the palm showing salute. "And the other person is a man who specialized in Mass Communication systems and arrays, his name is..." James started to say before a blonde Caucasian male with a white shirt with blue stripes came out with his arms outstretched "Privyet, Comrades!" The man said loudly, Pearson laughed as James leaped off the tank "Guys, this is Yuri Petrovich. Russian Spetsnaz who specialized in Mass Communication." James said as he patted the man on the back.

"Bozhe Moy! My friends, it's been far too long aye?" Yuri said with a semi-thick Russian accent. "Alright, first thing first. We need to build you guys some barracks and with all of us working together, we can knock this out in a few minutes." James said before he led them out of the courtyard and into the grasslands that were only illuminated by the floodlights. Elliott got to work alongside Fox who helped him fine tune his new powers, together they laid out a 12 foot by 12 foot concrete square before they built a large brick barracks building with individual rooms "Alright, Fox and Pearson will help you make your beds and stuff." James said before he left for the castle.

James walked into his castle and found the four girls asleep in their bedroom while Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn were in his bed together down the hall "So, more friends of yours?" Naomi asked, James chuckled and shrugged "Yeah, they just got in from America. They are some of the best fighters I know and they are gonna help us turn this massive plot of land into its own country." James said as he pulled his boots off. "I guess you'll be the king and we'll be your queens." Ayumi said as she motioned him toward the bed, but James shook his head "I'm actually dirty, let me grab a shower and then I'll join you." James said as he pulled off his BDUs.

James looked out a window and surveyed his domain, his new kingdom he could build and turn into whatever he "Show us your tits!" Elliott called out while the Marines all stared at James in the window, he flipped them off before he went to the bathroom. "God damn it, Elliott! He is your commanding officer, drop and give me 35 right now, Maggot!" Jones yelled in the distance while the others laughed. James couldn't help but smile as he left the bathroom door open for three other guests 'Now it really feels like the Marine Corps.' James thought to himself as Shelyn closed the bathroom door behind them.

**A/N: Chapter 6 has been tagged and bagged, on to Chapter 7 with this colorful array of Military personnel. What do y'all think of it so far? Like the direction it's going? Let me know, stay tuned, Remember to Favorite, Follow, and Leave a Review, and as always, this is Nightmare 6-4, signing off.**

**(Edit: What do you think of the NSFW scenes? A. Tone it down B. A little more wouldn't hurt C. Fine as is [At least one per chapter.] Please let me know in the reviews.)**


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